First Half Marathon Tips

I have so many lovely new running friends that are running their first half marathons this spring. There is nothing that gets me more excited than chatting with a new runner set to embark on training for a new challenge. I don't know how many yoga classes after group runs were started a minute or two late this spring because I got caught up talking to someone about their training.

When I say that I love it, I'm not even joking.

Here is some advice that I've given my new running friends:

Have fun. Both in training and on race day. That's why we do this right? There are a million races in the future that can be serious and focused and insanely hard training and effort, but you only get one stab at your first half, and to me it's more important to have fun putting in the training and completing the distance than getting wrapped up in a goal time.

Treat your long runs as practice for race day. Practice what you eat for breakfast, practice what you eat the night before your long run, experiment with clothing options to see what rubs and chafes and what will cause you to overheat, experiment with different fueling options. Most people have at least 12 weekends of long runs, so use those long runs not only to increase your distance to get you closer to 13.1 but also practicing your fueling to make those miles as enjoyable as possible.

Find some buddies to train with. I have never been someone to enjoy running with other people. Until this last year, and I seriously didn't understand what I was missing out on! Find someone faster to tag along with on your speedier days, find someone who's just starting to work toward a 5k or 10k for your easy days, and find an array of folks to join you for your long runs. Even having an extra body run with you for half of a long run makes all the difference.

















Pinch the cup when you drink it. One of the best pieces of advice I ever got when I first started running. It helps you to drink without swallowing a bunch of air. Seriously. Genius.

What else am I missing?

What is something you learned the hard way that you wish someone had told you??

Brookings Half Marathon Tips

I have a ton of running friends that are running their first half marathons at Brookings. It is one of my favorite halfs, and this spring will be the fourth time I've ran it (previous race reports here: 2012--1:55, 2014--2:02, and 2016--2:15)! I've been giving out tips and advice left and right and realized that maybe some folks in the far reaches of the interwebs might also enjoy some of the tips, so here they are!

Brookings is awesome. The course is flat and fast. While it is flat-flat-flat there are some stretches in the final miles that are the slightest bit uphill (and then downhill), then back uphill, and finally downhill. It is so gradual, you can't even see the difference, but you can feel it, and it sucks. So be prepared for that and know that after each sucky bit you get a nice mini downhill reprieve. The first time I ran it I thought I was losing steam on the first tiny uphill only to realize later when I was analyzing my data that, oh, guess I was going up. Makes sense.

There are a LOT of turns. I think the shortest distance I've ran according to my garmin is 13.3, upwards of 13.4 other times. So if you're shooting for a PR, plan accordingly with your pace! Turn+turn+turn+turn+turn+turn+turn+turn+turn=there's no way you're going to run perfect tangents. Trust. The last time I was close to running sub 2 I was 2 minutes over and way more than two minutes in distance. Grrr.

The weather is usually pretty great. But it is South Dakota, so plan for wind. Spend some of your long runs cursing the wind. That shouldn't be hard because for three years straight of training for a spring marathon, every.single.long.run I did was 30-40 mph wind gusts. Woof. If it's a sunny day, the final 4-5 mile stretch isn't super covered with trees so it can feel a bit toasty.

Make sure you stick around long enough to enjoy Nick's burgers. Seriously. These little gems are a god send. They tend to start serving closer to the first marathoner or marathon relay to finish, but they're more than worth the wait. Little sliders sent directly from the heavens.

The medals are legit. Some of the largest medals I own. I always enjoy some great, well-earned bling.

So I hope to see you in Brookings. I'll the one in green sweating profusely even if it's nice and cold out.