Hello!  I am new and just wanted to say hello.  Just registered for my first half marathon and have been training for a while.  I am not new to running but am new to longer distances.  Any thoughts or ideas or inspiration welcome.  Have a nice night/weekend

• Currently 3.0/5 Stars.

I said it in a confusing way...I really meant 7-8 total miles the week OF the race. Typically you re in "taper" mode right before your race. You are going to get a real treat when you go over the bridge. I ran Cooper River several years ago and one of the biggest thrills was getting to the apex of the bridge and looking down at the thousands of runners ahead of me...it's a moment I will never forget. Have the time of your life! This sounds like a great race! Posted by: bmoore on Oct 15, 2009 at 05:26 PM

Hi, thanks for the motivation and advice. the course is completely flat, except for when we cross a very long bridge over the intercoastal waterway.. the race is in daytona beach, fl. I live here and go to chiropractic school. I will let you know how it goes, and did you say no more than 7-8 mi. for the entire week pre race, or no more than 7-8 in one particular run... I am a little confsed. Have a great weekend! Posted by: elizabethm on Oct 15, 2009 at 05:17 PM

You can do a 10-12 miler the week before the race...but then do a relatively easy week OF the race (no more than 7-8 miles total). At 24 and in good shape, you will do great! Is the course hilly or flat? Remember; pace, pace, pace and then find your kick in the end! Good luck! I'm excited to hear how it goes. Glad you like the site! Posted by: bmoore on Oct 14, 2009 at 09:55 PM

thanks for that post I looked at the plan and it looks very doable. I am only trying to finish the half so I know I can do that. When should my last long run be? If its about a 9 or 10 miler... I am very glad you have responded and I absolutely love this website so far.. O yeah, I am 24/ in good aerobic shape, if that helps! Posted by: elizabethm on Oct 14, 2009 at 05:59 PM

LOL.I have a little experience with that getting lost thing! Here is my opinion about this and anyone who wants to, please chime in...Depending upon your age and general level of fitness, you can probably finish a half marathon...but it likely won't be pretty. In general, to have a pleasant, decent performance in a half marathon, most training programs are going to train you from couch to starting line in 18 weeks. OK - so say you can start the distance piece about halfway in...that's still about 2 months to get into shape to run the race. About a year ago, I trained for a Half in just a few weeks using this training schedule, which got me finished in a decent time and feeling good:http://www.traxee.com/posts/493-tempting-fate-13-1-in-5. Take a look at it and again, depending upon where you are at, you may be able to adapt it to your needs...just remember...you don't want to run your longest mileage a week before or the week of the race. To see more here at Traxee about the half marathon, do a search heare on Traxee or visit either Hal Higdon's or Jeff Galloway's websites. They have got some great training programs posted there. Posted by: bmoore on Oct 12, 2009 at 09:40 AM

Hi, I have run about 14 miles before, a few years ago because I got lost and just kept running. I used to do cross country so I am okay with 5k's, I have not raced anything more than 5k though. do you think a couple longer runs between now and the half will be sufficient? It is three weeks away, and I have been running most days of the week and trying to include some longer runs weekly. any advice is appreciated, and thanks for responding to me. Posted by: elizabethm on Oct 11, 2009 at 12:36 PM

Hi! What's the longest distance you've ever run previous to this? Posted by: bmoore on Oct 11, 2009 at 12:18 PM