Jan

25

How To Get The Most Out Of Your First Half Marathon

January 25, 2008 |

Scared to try your first half marathon? Worried you’ll look out of place among all the other runners? Don’t be! Check these tips and enjoy the half marathon experience.

Preparation - it is vital to run at least 3 times over 10 miles or longer to build the stamina to get round the half marathon course without suffering in the last two or three miles. If you can find the time to run over 25 miles per week for at least two weeks in the last month you’ll find you won’t suffer too much towards the end of the race.

Planning - take care with your race day planning. If the race is a fairly long way from home, book overnight accommodation so that you are not too tired on your big day from a lengthy drive. If you travel on the day of the race make sure you give yourself plenty of time to get there. For big races the traffic will make the journey take much longer. Make sure you have all your kit ready including your all important race number and chip timer

Food - enjoy a pasta meal the night before to increase your glycogen stores which your body will draw upon towards the end of the race. If the race is likely to be run in warm or hot weather, drink plenty of water the night before and two hours before the race. Don’t eat or drink anything you haven’t tried before in your training. Your body might give you a nasty surprise if you do something new on the day. Find out what works for you and stick with it!

Race tactics - many races encourage you to queue at the start in predictive finishing race order. Don’t stand with the 1hr 30 runners if you are a 2 hour runner. You don’t want to be seduced into starting too fast or even risk being tripped up by those who run faster than you.

Once you do start try and keep to an even pace. Try to ensure that during any bad patches - we all have them - you restrict the time you lose on your target time. A good tip is to spot a fellow runner who is running steadily at your pace and follow them.

It is highly unlikely that you will pick up time at the end of the race so try and give yourself an extra minute in hand on your target time for the last 1.1 miles - the “big mile” is further than you think at the end of the race when your legs are tired.

Above all enjoy yourself!

http://sport4me.com - the running log that calculates your fitness factor for virtual race challenges.

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