As someone who identifies as a highly “reluctant runner”, you might not think that I’m the best resource for training tips. I don’t necessarily disagree with you.
However, having run around 15 half marathons, one full marathon, and a number of shorter races, I’ve gleaned some information. In fact, I’ve learned from A LOT of very bad (sometimes practically nonexistent) training what NOT to do.
I hope you can learn from my (often painful) experience some dos and don’ts when it comes to half marathon training.
Do: Actually follow a training plan.
I get that this seems super obvious, but as someone who has run approximately 6 half marathons either vastly undertrained or without having run more than a handful of miles in totality before race day, I cannot stress this enough. You need to follow a training plan. Experts make them and they know what kind of training your body needs to survive and enjoy a half marathon.
Even if you can get through a half marathon without any training, which I think the majority of people can, it will not be a fun experience and you will not recover very quickly. Don’t make this mistake and just show up on race day, I beg you.
Don’t: Get too hung up on that training plan.
This might seem a little contradictory, but it’s good advice, I promise. It can be really easy to miss a day or two of your training plan and fear that you won’t be race-ready. Maybe you have a conflict on a day you’re supposed to do a long run. Maybe you miss a few days of cross training or a couple of easy runs because you’re traveling or sick. Don’t stress. Training plans can be flexible.
Do: Try not to miss your long runs.
With the above tip in mind, I’ve found that it’s more important to listen to your body when you need to, but to still try to get the majority of your long runs done. Those extended runs are super important for increasing your endurance and getting an idea of what race day might feel like. They’re also a good way to gauge what kind of fuel you’ll need and what you’ll want to wear on race day.
Think of every long run as a trial run for race day. This is the time to try out new things…not on the actual day of your race.
Do: Crosstrain your booty off…seriously.
As a runner, your hamstrings are taking a beating every time you go out for a run. One way to make this beating less painful and make your body stronger? Booty work. I didn’t realize how weak the backside of my body was until I started doing exercises that specifically targeted it and realized how much easier everything got as I got stronger, including running.
Strong butt, strong hamstrings, and a strong back make going uphill a lot easier and will leave your legs less painful in addition to reducing your chances for injury. So really, work your butt off.
Do: Make it fun.
I’ve talked to people who truly love just the training aspect of races and who don’t care as much about the actual race day. I am not one of those people, which is why I often find it difficult to motivate myself to train but always show up on race day. I know, not the smartest strategy, but there is something about a race day: the adrenaline, the signs, the cookies at the finish line. I’m guessing that most of your training runs don’t have those.
If like me, you find it easier to run with an incentive, create one for yourself! Maybe you save a dollar per mile and put it into a jar for new running clothes or something else that excites you. Maybe you get a pizza after every twenty miles. It doesn’t matter what you choose as long as it is meaningful and motivating for you.
Don’t: Lose track of time.
When you’re planning weeks and weeks out for training plans, it can seem like you have all the time in the world to train. I find that breaking a countdown into days is more helpful for my brain as it makes it seem more urgent. I even keep a letterboard in my office with a countdown of the days left until each one of my races. I see it multiple times a day and it helps remind me of the impending days and how important it is for me to actually go train.
Plus, updating it every few days or weeks is a bonus reminder that the days are running out and I need to get out there!
Don’t: Try something new on race day.
I realize that I technically already mentioned this tip when focusing on long runs, but I think it bears repeating. As someone who once had to remove her running tights mid-race because she was having an allergic reaction to her new laundry detergent (not a joke, and yes it was horrifying), I would caution you to try EVERYTHING you plan to have with you on race day.
Don’t debut new clothing items, new headphones, or new nutrition on race day. It might be totally fine, but you also might end up pants-less on the side of a trail and believe me, nobody wants that.
As previously mentioned, I am not a professional, or even always dedicated, runner. These are simply tips I’ve picked up through my experiences running over the last five or so years and throughout about fifteen half marathons. If you have any tips that work awesome for you, feel free to comment below! I’m always up to learn from other runners. 🙂
Bonus:
Below is a VERY basic 12-week running program that I’ve adapted from several other programs. This is what I use most often to train for races. I prefer to run more often than not, so I often run on Wednesdays, though you could also crosstrain that day. I find I’m more likely to keep running when I run more often because it helps me remember that I do actually like it. I know, strange but true.
I know a lot of training plans includes specific types of runs on their plans: speedwork, fartlek, slow run, race pace, etc., but I personally think that’s overwhelming for beginners. If you have a coach to talk you through each workout, maybe it becomes less “noisy”, but I prefer just to lay out my distances for each week and to run them based on how I feel. Now granted, this doesn’t necessarily lead to vast improvements in pace for me, but it helps me stay pretty consistent and it gets me safely to race day (and the finish line) each time. Happy running!
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