Today I want to give you my top tips for running a half marathon…
Why?
Because I ran my first half marathon yesterday and I’m basically telling everyone!
The top tips for running a half marathon that I am about to share solely come from my very recent experience (yesterday)
The following is essentially a list of things I should have done but didn’t!
- Take water with you. It seems obvious but I’m so used to running 5k or 10k routes without water that it really didn’t cross my mind. I would advice a camel pack as this is what I use when snowboarding and it’s a godsend.
- Take Vaseline or wear anti chafe shorts. This is another must as chafing after 5/10k is agony! Mine was so bad that I stopped to take my boxers off as they were causing me so much grief downstairs.
- Now, usually people run a half marathon at an organised event. There’s a crowd, people cheering you on and various medical staff to help along the way… I on the other hand, ran this half marathon through Swinley forest, on my own… without any fluid as previously mentioned and NO BLOODY PHONE! Not the smartest of moves. Anything could have happened. passing out from dehydration being the most obvious one. Luckily I was fine but if you’re like me and enjoy going rogue and off the beaten track, please take a phone.
- Build up to a half gradually. Again, something I didn’t do. The most I’ve ever run is 10k. Another silly mistake by me. The body (mainly legs) need time to acclimatise to the distance you’re covering. Building up by 2-5k each month is a good way to steadily increase your distance… I would imagine.
So, there you have it. My top tips for running a half marathon. Or… what a list of not do do.
I hope you enjoyed this blog entry and that you’ll learn from my mistakes.
If you need any help with anything fitness or nutrition related, drop me a message.
Happy running people!
Ben.