Half Marathon Tips for Novice Runners

I must say that I'm more of a sport and yoga person, so when I decided to run the Bath Half, this was going to be my first competitive run. I learned quite a lot about what ideas are good and bad and thought I'd share them with you.

1. Start training EARLY. By early, I mean at least 12 weeks in advance of the race if you are already at a good level of fitness. If not, you're probably looking at about 20 weeks. Building up stamina is extremely important and will be extremely beneficial on race day. Build up the distance gradually - five to ten minutes each week is probably best.
2. Vary your training. Do 2 shorter runs a week followed by one long run, and maybe add some speed work in there as well. Also, add cross training to your plan. During training, I was playing rugby, going to the gym and doing occasional weights which probably helped maintain my overall fitness and didn't make me get bored of just running!
3. Don't worry if you miss a week. Missing runs because of injury or work commitments is definitely not the end of the world. Your fitness levels are very unlikely to decrease just because you skipped a run or two, and especially where injuries are concerned, it is important to take the training at your own pace. 
4. Food. Make sure that you're eating enough carbs to support your running - your muscles will thank you! On the days before the race, be a pig and eat more carbs than usual to develop a good reserve of glycogen for the race. More carbs, less meat is the way to go on these days. I personally ate bowls of pasta and porridge which seemed to do the trick. On the day of the race, get up early and have breakfast, as no one likes running on a full stomach. I made sure that mine was mostly carbohydrates (plus the obligatory peanut butter...I have a problem!) 
5. During the race. Try and enjoy it! Pace yourself and don't start off too fast. I promise that the adrenaline and crowds will spur you on to keep on running, and the feeling at the finish line is extremely rewarding! Listen to your body and don't push yourself too hard. Most importantly, do not compare yourself to anyone else - It's you and your time that matters, not anyone else's.
6. Afterwards. Get some liquid and a high calorie snack (mars bars or bananas are perfect) down straight away. This will prevent any nasty dizziness or faintness. 

The Bath Half!

So I did the Bath Half on Sunday. It was bloody fantastic. What I mean by that, more precisely, was that it was one of the best experiences of my life. Some of it was excruciatingly hard, but it has definitely taught me to persevere and carry on even when I least feel like it. This time last year, I would never have even guessed that I would have completed a half marathon. It is just amazing what our bodies are truly capable of if we challenge them with stress; this definitely shows that the mind has a lot of involvement in successfully completing tasks.

When I first arrived at the Runners' Village, I felt somewhat out of place in comparison to the lycra-clad, sinewy regulars with my fluorescent socks and high school hoody. However, during the race, an odd sort of camaraderie existed between us runners. Each of us were encouraging the rest and the crowd wouldn't stop cheering. I still think that it was this combined with countless prayers that got me through the whole 13.1 miles. The atmosphere was absolutely incomparable to anything I've ever experienced before.  

Afterwards, my legs felt like badly set jelly and I couldn't stop shaking. After a Mars bar and a supersize supper, I was feeling better but this did not prepare for what I was going to experience the next day. Stiff would be a huge understatement. Walking down the stairs took about 10 minutes and bending my knees were out of the question. 4 Voltarols later, I am completely recovered apart from a bit of quad pain. Massive respect to my body! 

So, would I do it again? Of course! 

My Filofax

Getting a filofax was probably one of the best decisions I've made in my life. I am naturally a quite disorganised person (if I let myself), but am easily motivated to organise myself as long as it's not too much effort. I bought my filofax at the beginning of my second year of undergrad, and have been using it ever since! After finally deciding on which one I wanted, I ordered the Personal Chameleon in black. I would have gone for a slightly more exciting colour, but at least black goes easily with everything and looks smart. The leather is of good quality and lies flat when open. 

That's probably enough filofax loving for one post, so I shall now proceed to tell you why it has been so useful. To me, this binder is an absolute Godsend if you are at uni or have a busy life. It gives you no excuse whatsoever to be lazy and disorganised. I can write down all of my deadlines and classes in the weekly diary, with a better view of the month available in my month on 2 pages section. The diary allows me to properly organise my week, meaning that I don't miss lectures and make the most of my spare time. The extra note sections also means that there's ample space for jotting down blog ideas, exercise plans, shopping lists...and the list goes on! You could argue that a smartphone would do a better job. You may be right, but never having been at one which technology, the pen and paper system definitely suits me better.