I ran my first half-marathon in 2007, and to be honest, I had no idea what I was doing! That was before endless amounts of running information was available for free online. Looking back on that experience, there are so many things I wish I knew before training for that race. While there is now plenty of information about running widely available, it can sometimes be difficulty to navigate. I thought I would share some simple half-marathon training tips for beginners all in one place.
I don’t run half-marathons nearly as much as I used to these days. Thanks to COVID and having babies it seems like there are big gaps between my races. In some ways I feel like I am starting all over again each time I run one. So these half-marathon training tips are helpful even for experienced half-marathons who may not race very often!
Half-Marathon Training Tips for Beginners
- Start with a strong base before half-marathon training
- Run a shorter race first
- Experiment with fueling for your half-marathon
- Make sure you have the right gear
- Follow a plan or work with a coach
- Undertrained for your half-marathon is better than overtrained (or injured)
- Work on your mental strategy
- Have a backup plan in case your half-marathon doesn’t work out
- Remember your “why”
Start with a strong base before half-marathon training
It’s best to have a running base in place before you start training for a half. It doesn’t need to be a lot, but it’s helpful to have been running consistently for a few months. You could aim for 3 runs a week totaling about 10-15 miles. This way when you start training you won’t have a huge jump in mileage.
Run a shorter race first
Believe it or not, that half-marathon I ran in 2007 was my first race ever. The Baltimore Running Festival is a huge event, so it was all pretty overwhelming. I had to navigate an expo, public transportation to the race, and long porta-potty lines without having any idea what I was doing. I think it would have been better to do at least a 5k first just to get used to the racing experience.
Experiment with fueling for your half-marathon
When you are running 13 miles you will most likely need to take some fuel along the way. This could be a get packet or another energy product, or some kind of natural food (like raisins). I had no idea that mid-race fueling was a thing when I ran my first half. I survived, but it probably would have been helpful to take something along the course! However, the most important thing is to learn what works for you. Try some different products when you are training. You can also experiment with the timing to see how often you will need to eat something.
Make sure you have the right gear
Before you even begin half-marathon training it’s a good idea to get fitted for shoes. As you get closer to race day, make sure your shoes will last you through the race. If you think they will be too worn out on race day, consider breaking in a new pair a few weeks before the race. You also want to have a few good pieces of running clothing and something to wear on race day. Avoid wearing the free race shirt, and do a test run in whatever you decide to wear.
Some of my favorite running shoes are the Brooks Ghost, Brooks Glycerin, and Brooks Hyperion Max. (affiliate links)
Follow a plan or work with a coach
When I was training for my first half I didn’t follow a plan. I read some articles in Runner’s World and just started running more. I increased my long run and made sure to run a few other times each week. Luckily, that worked out ok. But it would have been much easier to follow a plan! These days there are so many plans available online that you can find something that works for you. You can also work with a running coach who can write you an individualized plan or provide one-on-one training with consistent support and feedback.
Undertrained for your half-marathon is better than overtrained (or injured)
It can be tempting to run more and more just to feel like you are ready for your race, but more is not always better. You want to make sure you train enough to cover 13.1 miles, but you don’t want to get burnt out or injured. Being slightly undertrained is better than doing too much. You could risk not being able to run the race at all.
Work on your mental strategy
It took me years of running and racing to start thinking about my mental strategy. A negative mindset has completely destroyed races for me in the past. I do so much better, especially in tough conditions, when I work on my mental strategy before a race You can do visualization exercises to help you prepare for how you will handle it when the race gets challenging.
Have a backup plan in case your half-marathon doesn’t work out
By this I mean both for the race, and for your training. If you can’t get in enough training to run your race, maybe you want to postpone it and run another one instead. As you are training, there will likely be times that you miss runs. Consider how you can adjust your schedule or get in an alternative workout so that you can still meet your training goals. Planning ahead can be very helpful so that you can make adjustments and still reach your goals.
Remember your “why”
Training will get hard at times, and the race will get hard at times. It’s important to think about why you are training and racing, and remember that when you face challenges. Stay focused on your long term goal and picture yourself accomplishing something great.
Training for a half-marathon takes months, while running it takes just hours. So try to make the most of the process and enjoy your training, Remember that just making it to the starting line is a huge accomplishment!
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For those of you who have run half-marathons, do you have any half-marathon training tips to share?
Is there anything you wish you knew before your first half?
New runners, what questions do you have about half-marathon training?
Need more individualized support getting ready for a half-marathon? A running coach can help! You can also check out my training plans and resource guides.
Excellent tips! Especially the one “run a shorter race first”.
There are so many things about racing that you need to know – port-a-potties, expo, starting procedure – that it’s best to get familiar with those things at a 5k first.
When exactly will your spring half be? As it will be your 14th, you will be well prepared!
Its so helpful to understand race logistics before running a big race!
My race is on May 3rd. It feels like such a long time since I’ve done a half!
I kind of feel like I am starting over every time I train for a half! I totally agree that undertrained is better than overtrained. That really helped out in New Orleans after coming back from my hip injury. I also started running when I had no idea what I was doing about fueling and what to wear. Great tips for newbies and all of us
I guess its common for beginners to not know about that stuff! It’s great that now so much information is available online.
I haven’t run a Road half in 2 years either. I just have kind of fallen out of love with the distance. It was my fave for a long time. And my first ever race was a half! Go big right? Great tips!
I feel like its a good distance for alot of reasons, but it just hasn’t been my priority in awhile. I’m glad to focus on training for a half vs a full right now.
Love this. The biggest thing that I would tell a first time half marathoner is that there is just nothing like that feeling of crossing the finish line. The other thing is “relax”. I was so jumpy about my first half that I started training six months (!) in advance and was pretty tired by race day. If you can find a “longer” race to do beforehand, that’s great, I did a 10 mile race a few weeks before that showed me that my training was in a good place. Undertraining is A-OK, I was new to distance running and felt pressure by all of the 40-50 mile per week training plans I saw out there, so it helped to read blogs by people who ran good races on less mileage that I was doing.
Those are all great tips! In some ways running blogs are great but in other ways they cause too much comparison.
These are excellent pieces of advice! I also used a plan from Runner’s World that worked surprisingly well for me. It’s been two years since I raced a half and I don’t know the next time I will race one (because the marathon has a bigger siren song right now), but I miss the distance!
It is a fun distance! Right now I’m happy to be training for a half vs a full even though I would definitely like to run another full soon-ish.
My biggest learning from my first two Half Marathons, was fuelling and I’m so glad you’ve put it down here. I didn’t fuel at all. I had never even tried it on my long runs but in my second Half I really suffered for it. After that, I had to practice fuelling on my long runs until I knew what worked for me and what didn’t, also the timing, when I should fuel. When I started fuelling, I tended to do it too late in the run, when I was really struggling so I learnt to take it before the struggle so I could get that needed kick on time!
Fueling can be so complicated, especially for those who are new to distance running!
I’m sad to admit it but I’ve never used a training plan for any distance except a marathon. I’ve trained with a good base and added long runs on the weekend. My mental game is the area where I need to do the most training! Fueling has been another challenge for me.
Thats pretty impressive that you’ve never used a training plan for a half! Its been a long time since I used one but i definitely needed one in the beginning!
I kind of love that your first race ever was a half marathon! That would be very overwhelming! These are all great tips. It’s so important to build a base before starting to train. My half marathon plans are a bit loose these days. I’ve run so many that I just kind of update my regular running schedule. Add a tempo run once a week, a little hill training every other week or so, increase my mileage, and I’m good to go!
That’s kind of what I did for the last few half-marathons Ive done. But as I’m getting back into racing and longer distances right now I definitely feel like I need one!
I love the half marathon distance. It is challenging, but attainable. Great tips…especially the one about under- rained is better than over-trained.
Totally agree! It’s the perfect distance to train for without it taking over your whole life.
My first big distance was a 20K, and I was so paranoid about getting injured. I didn’t have a formal training plan, but was already in “10K shape,” so I just kept my 3 runs/week and added an extra mile to my long runs. I was nervous about only running to 10 miles…but everything I read said it was best to save those extra miles for race day…so I did, and all went well. SO, yes, to under-training vs. over-training 😉
Sounds like it worked out well for you! A 20k is kind of a random distance to pick for your first distance race!
My first half was pretty magical (hard, but magical), so I think you hit all the high spots. I am going to be referring back to this when I start training for my comeback half in a few months!
Hard but magical is a good description! Can’t wait to see you start training again!
Oh my gosh. Your first race was a half?! You cray, mama!! 🙂
I know- what was I thinking?!