Many of my friends have asked me for advice in training for their first half marathon and I could not be happier and more excited to share my thoughts!

The first question to ask – do you have a goal race? If so, when is it? How much are you currently running?

•  It is so important to make sure that you give yourself enough time to train and prepare for your first race. This will ensure that you are prepared and confident when you get to the start line.
• Take a look at these training plans from Hal Higdon for some help!

Planning your race and training schedule can sometimes be overwhelming, but it helps to make it fun! I look at my training log almost daily and write down notes about my run to keep me motivated.

Other training tips

• Practice proper nutrition and hydration, you will need it to run 13.1 miles.
• Visit your local running store and make sure you are wearing good shoes for running. This is one that many first time runners overlook because any exercise shoe can be used for running, right? Wrong.
• Listen to your body to avoid running through pain and thus potentially injuring yourself further.
• Don’t worry about time! If you have a goal time then that is fantastic, otherwise I would not suggest stressing out over your first race.
• There will be times that you may feel like quitting but remember why you started.
• Running is a mental sport and can be different for everyone. Test out different training methods and see what works best for you!
• Overall rule: trust the process and have fun!

What are some of your best half marathon training tips?

Stay tuned for race day tips!