1/2 Marathon Tips

Here on some of my short and sweet tips, but please feel free to ask more info since I've done a few races & the best knowledge/ideas I've learned are from other runners.

If this is your first or 300th marathon, invest now in some good running shoes. Sadly, I didn't know about this my first few years and suffered dearly from it. You shouldn't pay more then $200 for a great pair of shoes that fit you perfectly & invest $30-50 for insoles, they will keep you from having any knee/back/neck pain after your long runs! Fleet feet is a great store if you have one locally!

You might here tons of different info on your actual running training, everyone is different but these are what I do personally.
Do NOT run everyday. It's too hard on your body & not a good way to train for such a long distance run. Basically you need to do one long run (5-12 miles) a week, then two short runs a week (1-3 miles). Add in your strength training, I know it doesn't sound important to running/cardio but it will help you with keeping your pace & on hills. Also if you can throw in some yoga/pilates it will keep you from tighting up. Here is my workout schedules just to give you an idea how to break it all up.

Monday-Long Run (5-12 miles) Each week I add on mile on, then every 3rd week I subtract on mile then start over. Example, 6 miles on week then 7 miles then 8. Then I start back at 7 miles, then 8 then 9....all depends on when your race day is. If you have a short time from now until your race just add one mile each week until you reach 12 or 13.

Tuesday-yoga & strength trainng

Wednesday-Short run 2.5 miles sprint (I run every other minute as fast as I can, followed by the next minute at a slow "breath catching" pace)

Thursday- yoga & strength training

Friday or Saturday- Short run 1-3 miles at average pace, but always try to sprint or pick up pace during last quarter of mile.

Sunday-Rest

Make sure you adjust your normal workouts to fit your needs & personal limits. everyone is differnet & it's so important to stop & walk if your having trouble breathing or getting dizzy.

As I said above, everyone is different so please make sure you do what works best for you physically. I always learn so much more from others, so if you have any tips that would help me out please share!! I would love to hear from others, and learn as much as possible to make my own runs more enjoyable.