On November 14th, 2015 I ran in the American Family Fitness Half Marathon in Richmond, VA. It was my first official race beyond the distance of a 5k. I signed up for the race approximately six months in advance and began moderate training about ten weeks ahead of the date. My training schedule consisted of about five runs per week, in which four of the five runs were three to four miles long and one run was six to ten miles long. The longest distance I recorded before the official 13.1 miles was 10.6 miles. I went into my first half marathon with little to no expectations at all. Nonetheless, I would not have wanted it any other way as I enjoyed the simplicity and success of my experience. Below, I describe the questions I experienced at different stages of the event that may be helpful to prepare future half-marathon runners.
Ask yourself:
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What should I wear during the race?
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What should I eat the night before the race?
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When should I stretch?
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What time should I wake up?
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What should I eat for breakfast?
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What music should I listen to?
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Should I set a personal stopwatch?
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What are my time goals?
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Should I stop for the provided water and snack?
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Should I stop to go to the bathroom?
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Should I pace myself with anyone?
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What will I eat when the run is over?
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Should I sign up for another half-marathon or a full marathon?