Half Marathon

[KarateGeorge]

Well, its not really martial arts, but its still fitness related. A friend of mine is going to do a half-marathon this coming fall, and I think I'm going to join him in doing it. I've never done one before, and it seems like it'd be cool to do and though I don't expect to win it, I think completing one would be really awesome. A half marathon is 13.1 miles, so its a pretty long run. My longest run as of now is 9.5 miles, so I've still got some work to do to push myself out to 13.1 miles, but I've got a pretty good head start on myself with being able to do that distance, I think.

Anybody else here ever done a marathon, half-marathon, etc.? Got any training tips?

[DWx]

A group of people from my club are doing on this weekend for charity... I declined the offer to join them. I'll sponsor but you won't find me at the starting line.

[GeoGiant]

Well, its not really martial arts, but its still fitness related. A friend of mine is going to do a half-marathon this coming fall, and I think I'm going to join him in doing it. I've never done one before, and it seems like it'd be cool to do and though I don't expect to win it, I think completing one would be really awesome. A half marathon is 13.1 miles, so its a pretty long run. My longest run as of now is 9.5 miles, so I've still got some work to do to push myself out to 13.1 miles, but I've got a pretty good head start on myself with being able to do that distance, I think.

Anybody else here ever done a marathon, half-marathon, etc.? Got any training tips?

If you can run 9.5 miles then it doesn't sound like you need training advice.

The best tip I can give - run the course before the race. Running the course first helped me immensely. I couldn't properly pace myself without knowing where the hills, other obstacles, etc, were located.

Also, most races provide you with some type of monitoring device that will record the time you cross the starting & finishing lines so you have an official time. Unless you run at a 6 to 7 min pace, do not start up front! When the race starts there will be a surge of runners trying to get out in front.... for no reason. Just hang toward the back and let the runners thin out since your time will not start until you cross the starting line.

Also, avoid the urge to start too fast! Better to start too slow and adjust your pace later. Most races mark distances off at certain intervals so you will have some assessment of how you feel vs. your pace.... also run with a watch to help you better assess you pace.

Ok, that was more that one tip but I couldn't help myself.

[KarateGeorge]

Thanks! Since I'm not "in it to win it" I'll probably hang out more towards the back. I average an 8:00 minute to 8:30 minute mile when doing long runs. Not a bad clip and I could probably start improving my speed if I trained for it before the big day, but as of now its certainly not fast enough to worry about fighting my way to the front of the pack. I think my biggest challenge is going to be pushing my distance out further. I generally start to feel like I'm hitting a wall around the 8 mile mark and it starts to get hard to go any further. Maybe bringing an energy bar with me or something along those lines will help me to get through those last few miles.

[GeoGiant]

Thanks! Since I'm not "in it to win it" I'll probably hang out more towards the back. I average an 8:00 minute to 8:30 minute mile when doing long runs. Not a bad clip and I could probably start improving my speed if I trained for it before the big day, but as of now its certainly not fast enough to worry about fighting my way to the front of the pack. I think my biggest challenge is going to be pushing my distance out further. I generally start to feel like I'm hitting a wall around the 8 mile mark and it starts to get hard to go any further. Maybe bringing an energy bar with me or something along those lines will help me to get through those last few miles.

I'm not sure where you are located but most larger sporting good stores sell a gel substance that is used as opposed to an energy bar which may be difficult to eat while running. I have seen gel packets at the Sports Authority.

[KarateGeorge]

I live in a metropolitan area, so I'm sure I can find a store that has those. I'll have to look for some. Thanks!

[sperki]

I've done several half marathons, and one full (which wasn't very fun). You're race will have aid stations along the route, so you'll be able to drink Gatorade, or some other beverage with Calories during the race. For training, I carry a water bottle and granola bar or some other snack if my workout will be much longer than 60 minutes. Or run a loop so you can grab a drink at the car around the half way point. If you're already at nearly 10 miles you've got it made. From there it's just a 5K, which is a piece of cake

Good luck!

[GeoGiant]

I've done several half marathons, and one full (which wasn't very fun). You're race will have aid stations along the route, so you'll be able to drink Gatorade, or some other beverage with Calories during the race. For training, I carry a water bottle and granola bar or some other snack if my workout will be much longer than 60 minutes. Or run a loop so you can grab a drink at the car around the half way point. If you're already at nearly 10 miles you've got it made. From there it's just a 5K, which is a piece of cake

Good luck!

Not to hijack the thread but reading your marathon experience made me think of mine - I hated it. It took me a long time to admit to myself that running was no longer fun for me. I felt like I was giving up if i stopped.

Running did lead me martial arts which has been a great experience!

[sperki]

I still run half marathons at least once a year, and I do a long run 8+ miles) pretty much every weekend. But I didn't run for about 4 or 5 months after my full marathon! I'll do another one eventually, because I'm competitive and I have a friend that beat me by a few minutes, but for now I'm sticking with 15 miles or less - that's were I really start to feel beat up. And really the best part of a run is the finish and knowing I earned a beer at dinner

[KarateGeorge]

I still run half marathons at least once a year, and I do a long run 8+ miles) pretty much every weekend. But I didn't run for about 4 or 5 months after my full marathon! I'll do another one eventually, because I'm competitive and I have a friend that beat me by a few minutes, but for now I'm sticking with 15 miles or less - that's were I really start to feel beat up. And really the best part of a run is the finish and knowing I earned a beer at dinner

Ha!!! I hear ya! Though winning is great, I really don't care if I win the race. I don't even expect to win. I just want to go in to it and finish it. It's about knowing I did it more than anything else. At the end of the race, I want to be able to look back and say "I finished" more than anything else about it...the challenge is against myself. I'm not concerned with how I do in relation to the other runners in the race.