First Half Marathon in less than 2 hours!

On Saturday I completed my first half marathon ever-- the longest distance I have ever run in 1:59:24-- at a 9:07min/mile pace.

I'd like to share what I did to get faster, train and lose weight along the way in case it is helpful to others. January 2011, my boyfriend and I bought new running shoes. I could maybe run 20 minutes continuously (just maybe) at a 12min/mile pace. Then, February 2011 we both decided to join a triathlon club. This involved running, spinning, and swimming each at least once a week for an hour. I continued with the tri program through June when it ended and trained a little here and there over the summer. In the fall of 2011, I became more serious about running and started going out at least twice a week.

By the time December 2011 rolled around I had lost about 10 pounds and was ready for more of a challenge. I signed up for the half marathon and decided to begin training. I ran at least 3-5 times per week and loosely followed a Runner's World guide for beginners. I added some strength training (1-2 times per week) and continued to cross train with swimming and the occasional 30 Day Shred.

HOW I GOT FASTER December 2011 - March 2012:

1. Run with people who are faster than you! This is the ultimate way to push yourself to go faster and harder in each workout. Being part of the triathlon club was key because running in a group allows you to push harder

2. Train on hills and with hill intervals. I could not believe how fast I zoomed by people on the hills in the race. This really surprised me.

3. No matter how fast you think you can go, you can usually go even faster than that. If you continually push yourself to increase speed, it will happen

4. Strength training really helped-- especially working on my arms and core. I think that made a huge difference in my running ability.

5. I think losing weight actually makes you faster. Sounds crazy, but makes sense. Less weight to support and carry through the miles!

LESSONS LEARNED and Areas of Improvement for the Next Half Marathon:

1. Do more interval training-- I stayed away from doing speed work (beyond hill intervals), but that would really help get faster

2. Run the full 13.1 miles before the race. The farthest I ran before the race was 11.5 miles which really was not smart. I know some guides say you don't have to run the full 13.1 to be able to complete the half (which is true), but then the last few miles feel like hell. I was pacing 8:40min/mile for the first 6 miles, but my pace was so much slower in the end because the last 3 miles felt like the hardest, slowest miles I've ever run. Next time, I would do several 10+ mile training runs.

3. Wear what you're going to wear race day for a very, very long run in advance. The shorts I wore in the end were a little uncomfortable by the time I reached mile 10-- would have like to know that in advance.

4. Train for the weather of the race. This was hard for me. The previous weeks the weather was mostly 50s, but then race day was very sunny and 60s. While running it felt like I was burning up and in constant need of water. Thankfully I brought a water bottle with me, but doing more runs to practice in warmer weather would have been ideal.

5. Know the course. This was SO helpful to run in my own city on streets I always run on and know when the hills were coming. Had I not known the streets/elevation/course in advance, I think I would have had a lot of trouble (b/c the hills hit you out of nowhere and last at least 3 miles of incline).

6. Don't start out too fast! If I had started just a tad slower in the beginning, maybe I would have had more steam in the last 2-3 miles.

7. Get a reliable watch. My watch stopped worked 91 minutes into the race-- eeeeek! That threw me for a loop, but had to keep on chugging along.

**The race I ran was part of the Rock 'N Roll Marathon Series. Even though those races are more expensive than most, I found it to be extremely well organized and fun, so I would recommend seeking out one of those near you (they sell out fast)! Anyway, hope this helps anyone who is new to running or wants a few tips. I'm no expert, but these are just some things that I learned along the way. I'm doing a 10 mile race in two weeks, so I plan to implement some of my own advice for the next race!