So here are the things I have learned with my first half marathon in the books:
1. Hotel near the start/finish line is a good thing. I would rather stay near the start/finish than the expo.
2. VIP toilettes are very nice and worth the extra dough although i only used them once.
3. Planning a min vacation at the start of the race may not be a good idea. Tons of walking to sight see may be too much for your legs. I would prefer to stay in the city I am running at and near the start line the night before. They shut down most of st. louis for this race and people had to be parked and in town by like 4 am! We had a heck of a time getting out of town to go home because of the shut downs so I can't imagine how hard it would be and how stressful it would be to get in that morning. I don't like extra stress so I will always stay in the city i am running in the night before.
4. Trust in your training. I was not nervous and I felt like I ran a good race. Find a good plan or hook up with a running coach. I LOVE my running coach. Her advice through the whole training was awesome and i couldn't have done it without her. Lots have people have asked me how I found her. I found her through where I get my massages. They had started a running program and were offering a running coach to runners. I took them up on the offer and i was so pleasantly surprised. She is also a degreed and certified nutritionist so she helped me figure out fueling pre race and during the race.
5. Make sure you estimate your time better so you start in the right corral. I would rather go backwards than to have to pass all the people i had to pass. They do have corral change at the expo, I just didn't want to deal with the hassle of it. It is worth it.
6. Train your brain as much as you train your body. I had this covered since I do so much mental management in agility.
7. When training, find a running partner. They make you accountable and they make you train harder. The first time I really "Trained" for races, I was by myself and skipped many runs, especially speed work runs because they are harder. That is probably why I didn't do so well. Also it forces you to eat better because you don't want the runner's trots in front of a partner. Although farting is acceptable and ignored LOL. I could NOT have finished and ran as fast as I did without my BRF. She and my running coach are what helped me accomplish this race. I found my BRF through a work out class. We had been taking together for a year or so and we always partnered up when we would do partner work outs. She worked out at the same intensity I worked out at so I knew we were both competitive at the same level. Getting our schedules to mesh is sometimes hard, especially when we run at night versus morning but it is so worth it. Group runs are also great to go to. Our running company has some and body first where i get my massages has group runs. It is a great way to meet people and find a BRF. Also there are usually give aways and I have much less stress about pacing or tempo runs in groups because there is always some speedy to help with that.
8. Invest in some good running gear. I know, running is suppose to be free and cheap but it is worth it to pay some bucks for some good shoes that fit and to replace old shoes when they need it. It made me almost cry to pay 140 bucks for shoes since I am kind of cheap when it comes to shoes (example, I am still wearing some hiking boots from high school) but it will make your body and your feet very happy. I also got some cool winter stuff last year on the clearance rack that came in handy on race day. Cheaper =happy me. Surprisingly for my summer training gear, walmart and target had some pretty good deals and their offerings worked great. I LOVE the tank tops made by danskin at walmart and they were literally just a few bucks a piece and came in some super cute colors.
I am excited to train for and run some more halfs. I am already signed up for Hospital Hill in KC in June of 2014 and am contemplating the heartland series which is three half marathons in KC in april and may. Yep, been bitten by the bug:)
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