You can follow a very good half marathon training programme and still arrive on race day underprepared for your particular race. Why? Because 21.1 kilometres doesn’t always mean the same thing. A flat, fast road half marathon is a very different challenge from a course containing repeated climbs. A race with a long downhill section…
You’ve trained for weeks or months. You’ve completed your long runs, practised your race pace, worked on your fuelling and arrived at the start line ready to run 21.1km. But there’s one final piece of preparation before the gun goes: Your warm-up. For runners wanting to race their half marathon, I don’t believe the first…
The first few kilometres of a half marathon usually aren’t the problem. You’re fresh. Your legs feel good. Your breathing is controlled. If you’ve paced things sensibly, you might even wonder whether you’re running too slowly. But a half marathon isn’t decided by how good your legs feel at kilometre three. The real test comes…
You can have the fitness. You can have the perfect pacing strategy. You can arrive at the start line rested, confident and ready to run your best half marathon. But if your stomach doesn’t tolerate the fuel you’re putting into it, your race can unravel surprisingly quickly. Nausea, bloating, stomach cramps or an urgent search…
It sounds logical. You’ve got a goal time for your half marathon. You know the average pace you need to run. You’re feeling fantastic over the opening few kilometres, so you decide to run a little faster. Maybe you can put a minute or two “in the bank”. Then, if you slow down later in…
Your long run is one of the most important sessions in your half marathon training. It’s also one of the easiest to get wrong. You head out feeling good. The first few kilometres are comfortable. You glance at your watch and notice you’re moving faster than planned. So you keep going. Before long, what was…
At some point during a half marathon, there’s a good chance things are going to get tough. Your legs become heavier. Holding your pace requires more concentration. The finish line still feels a long way away. And a little voice starts suggesting that slowing down would be a very good idea. This isn’t necessarily a…
A downhill in the opening kilometres of a half marathon can feel like free speed. Your legs are fresh. Your breathing is comfortable. Gravity is helping you along, and suddenly you’re running considerably faster than your planned race pace without feeling like you’re working any harder. It’s tempting to take advantage of it. After all,…
You’ve completed the long runs, worked on your pacing, and built your fitness. Then race morning arrives, and suddenly you’re trying something new. A different breakfast. A brand-new energy gel. Shoes you’ve only worn once. A rushed warm-up because you arrived later than planned. It might seem like a small thing, but race morning isn’t…
Your weekly long run is the cornerstone of successful half marathon training. It isn’t simply about covering more kilometres than you did the previous week. A well-executed long run builds the endurance, confidence and resilience you’ll need to comfortably cover 21.1 kilometres on race day. Whether you’re training for your first half marathon or chasing…