Tell me about your first half marathon

When i did my first half i trained hard for 6mths. It was my longest run yes, and how bad did it hurt? Well my body didn't hurt so bad as my feet! My shoes were not big enough and i lost all of my toe nails =(

I trained for something like 12 weeks, I didn't have a strong running base either. I really didn't do as much running as I should have. I missed my second 16k run, my second 18k run and didn't do my 20k before. The last 5k were really hard. Plus, I trained in the winter and the race was in May. The day ended up being really warm and I struggled with the heat. I still enjoyed it though. It hurt, but it was totally my fault.

I trained for about 4 months or so...my longest run was just over 10 miles....

I was sore as heck when I was done, but it was the best feeling in the world at the same time :-) I like Hal Higdon's novice training plan...I followed that pretty closely for my first.

I used Higdon's novice program, so how ever long that is, is how long I trained. I had decent base, nothing crazy coming in. I went up to 11 miles as my farthest run prior to racing. There was a lot of snow that winter so I missed more runs than I'd have liked. I pulled my calf miuscle just a few days before the race, but fortunately was able to get it warmed & loosened up enough to run. The race was run in a total downpour starting at mile 2. While I wasn't in the most comfortable of conditions when I finished, I wouldn't say it hurt at all. Until later that evening and for the next week or so, my calf bothered me a lot.

I ran my first official half mary in October of 2011, and did a 20k (so 12.whatever miles) in June of 2011 (and other distance races in previous years). I was not properly trained for the 20k - I somehow finished, in 2 hours and 40 minutes. Eeeeks! Lots of walk and potty breaks, was sore and had an upset stomach the rest of the day.

About three months before the Half, I really revamped my training. I started eating better and incorporated strength training and biking into my workouts. I ran it in 2 hours and 9 minutes, and didn't take a walk break until mile 7 when I re-fueled. It was amazing.

For training, I was running 5-6 miles on MWF, and on Saturday's I'd run anywhere from 7-10 miles. I did at least three 10 milers (1 per month) leading up to the half. I think those "practice" 10 milers really helped me. I really wasn't sore the rest of the day, spent most of the evening dancing at a wedding, actually.

I did my first half in November of 2006 (Fall Classic Half Marathon) after training for 3 months.

My longest run before the race was 20km so it wasn't much of a stretch to get to 21.1.

Weather was wet, cold and icky (November in Vancouver, go figure), with heavy winds. I had an excellent race and still think back to that half fondly. It took me 3.5 years to beat the time I set down in that half marathon

2 weeks isn't much of a training time, hope you have a solid base in you!

Have a great race, please post a race report somewhere when you are done to let us all know how you did.

S

My first half I used Hal Higdon's plan. I was actually about 4 weeks behind schedule due to ITBS. I skipped ahead on the plan here and there and ended up with my longest run being 10 miles.

The race itself was amazing. I got to meet one of my closest MFP friends and we had the chance to hang out all weekend and make some great memories.

This has been helpful for me because I'm also training for my first half marathon. This was an awesome post! Thank you for posting! My half marathon is on march 11. I'm actually signing up tomorrow. Half Marathon at Petco Park - San Diego.

I also used Higdon's novice program for my first 1/2 marathon. I ran the Women's Half Marathon in November 2011. I started running (using the C25K program) in January 2011 and was not a runner previously. I ran my second half in December 2011 in Las Vegas (the Strip at Night).

I was very sore immediately after I stopped running for my first 1/2. I scheduled a massage later that same day which helped tremendously. I felt great knowing I finished though I really want to be able to run the whole 13.1 miles.

My longest run prior to the 1/2 was 10 miles. I am still using the Hal Higdon's program to train for my first marathon in October 2012.

I ran my first half Oct 2011 . . . I used a 16 week training plan (can't remember where I got it from); my longest run during training was 19 km's, and I felt well prepared. I completed in 2 hours, 8 minutes. I was 11 months post-partum, and it was such an emotional experience! Good for you for setting such an amazing goal for yourself!