Last January, on an impulse, I started training for a half marathon. I know that might seem strange, what about a 13.1 mile race is impulsive. But it was {as are so many things in my life}. After 12+ weeks of training, I ran my race in April. Sweet victory. I’m currently training for the Austin Half Marathon on February 20th. After getting some questions from friends about my training, I thought I’d spend the next three weeks doing a series.

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Half Marathon Training {The Physical}

I’ve thought it cliche to say “If I can do it, you can do it”, but I honestly believe it. I’ve never been a runner. And before I set my mind to running/training, the furthest I’d ever run was 2 miles. In high school. One of my favorite quotes about running {from Runner’s World} said “Running is hard. If it wasn’t everyone would do it”.  I can’t tell you how incredibly true that is. Running is hard. Some days I hate it. But I do it anyway because deep down I really love it. Here are my tactics for training:

1. Run – Obvious enough, but something we can all put off. It’s too cold. It’s too hot. It’s too rainy. It’s too sunny. You name it, I’ve used it as an excuse {including “It’s too windy and will mess with my running time”}. You can’t train if you don’t run.

2. Schedule – Just google “half marathon training schedule” and you will get countless training schedules ranging from beginners to advanced. Pick one that you can tailor to your needs and stick with it. Here’s mine: Basic Half. It worked wonders for helping me stay on track with my first half last year. This year I’ve tailored it a bit more, since I’m training in half the time.

3. Food is fuel – I’ll be the first to admit I’m not always great about seeing food as fuel {as I lick brownie crumbs off my plate and type…}. But if running has taught me one thing it’s: bad food makes for a bad run. End of story. The more junk I eat, the harder the run. I feel bloated and nasty. Not something you want to feel when you’re staring down an 8-mile run.

4. Water is essential, but so are electrolytes – Perhaps I’m part fish, but I need water. Literally crave it. And aside from my much needed coffee {and occasional wine/beer} I steer away from all other drinks. Unless I’m running. Throughout the day I drink tons of water, but on a long run day {anything over 6 miles} I make sure to have a Gatorade on hand. I typically won’t drink it during my run {just water}, but Gatorade is my saving grace for post run hydrating.

Running isn’t just physical, but mental and emotional. In the next two weeks, I’m going to be sharing my tips for how to mentally and emotionally train.

*Disclaimer: All tactics/tips are my own personal opinions and not medically backed. Please seek medical advice before starting any running program.