When I first decided that I wanted to train for a half marathon, I was pretty overwhelmed with all of the running schedules and advice that I found online. It seemed like there were a million “right” ways to train, but it was hard to narrow down what was actually going to work for me.

Now that I’ve got one half marathon under my belt, I wanted to share what I actually did and what I found helpful.

Near the beginning of my training, I talked with a seasoned runner and he told me that running a half marathon was all about “just putting in the miles” and that “anyone could do it.” I honestly kind of took offense at that last statement, it seemed like such a hard task and the idea that “anyone” could do it made me wonder how I would feel if I failed…

But now I know that he was just being humble and hoping to get across the idea that I didn’t need to be an Olympic athlete to achieve this goal. It’s mostly about listening to your body, honoring your limits, and simply not giving up.

That being said, I think some people are more naturally inclined to be runners than others, based on how their bodies are designed – if your body doesn’t want to run or simply cannot run, that is valid and okay. Many of the race participants at the Disneyland half marathon did intervals of walking and running to complete the race – my goal was to try to run the entire time (even if it was a slow pace), so that is what I trained for.

Below, I share my most helpful tips (what worked for me) and a few troubleshooting ideas:

Find A Running Schedule For Beginners
When I first decided to start training, I could barely even run a mile without stopping. Many of the running schedules I found online started with 2 miles as the lowest, so I knew I would have to find a “Couch to Half Marathon” or other “beginner” schedule. I started out doing intervals between running and walking, and for the first few months I followed the running schedule very faithfully. Once I got into a rhythm and learned more about what my body needed, I crafted my own schedule and tried to run three times a week, with one long run every week.

Believe in Yourself
Every time before I began a run, I looked at my schedule and knew what my goal was. I would mentally decide to reach that goal – failing wasn’t an option. Honestly, this worked for me. I’ve heard before that running is as much a mental sport as a physical one, and so before each run, just believe that you will achieve your goal. You may be surprised how far this takes you.

Yoga
I started doing yoga twice a week before I made the decision to train for a half marathon, but I didn’t realize how important yoga would end up being to my training. I found that I was a better runner after I did yoga. Yoga made me more flexible and strengthened my core and other muscles so that I avoided injuries when I ran. Before doing yoga, I used to have a lot of knee pain during running. But that went away after I faithfully started doing yoga twice a week.

Splurge on Shoes
Good running shoes can really make a difference. It can be hard to get over the price tag of good running shoes, but I do think they are worth it to give you good support and avoid injuries. I also bought myself running inserts from Superfeet. Even when I wasn’t running, I found I needed to wear supportive shoes (a combination of getting older and having flat feet!) I love Brooks running shoes, but there are a lot of other good brands out there.

Find Your Motivation
Paying money and officially registering for a race definitely gave me motivation to keep training. I also love to jam out to good music while running, although ironically I didn’t end up listening to music during the actual race (it was discouraged so you could hear safety announcements, etc.) I tried listening to audio books a few times, but found that my pace was super slow when I did that. Find what works for you, it may change depending on the day.

Have Running Buddies
I don’t actually like to run with friends, but it was fun to know other runners that I could talk to during my training process. Each time I hit a new milestone, they would be excited for me. When I had issues getting cramps all the time, they helped me brainstorm ideas of how to fix it. My husband and I were training for the same race, and we would constantly see who was “in the lead” for training – whenever my husband ran 8 miles, I’d be determined to run 9! Having running buddies helped keep me accountable for sticking to my training because I knew someone would ask me how my running was going.

So, you’ve got your runnings shoes ready and have chosen a weekly training schedule – and things are going along smoothly! But what will you do when you experience a setback? Here are a few troubleshooting tips from me:

Side Cramps (the dreaded)
For a while I constantly would get side cramps during my runs. I figured out that for me, it was a combination of pushing myself a little too hard, and also not eating or drinking before my runs. I’m a morning runner, so after not eating all night, I found I needed a little something in my stomach to prevent cramps. Bananas were a good choice for me. Despite doing all of this, I still got cramps occasionally, and the best way to get rid of them was just to slow down, or even walk for a while.

Pain (good or bad?)
Ever since I hurt my foot 4 years ago and had to have surgery, I’ve been learning how to pay better attention to my body and discern between good pain and bad pain. Good pain could be soreness or muscle fatigue, which is going to happen and is not a problem. Bad pain might be a sharp pain in your ankle that you decide needs attention. I’ve learned my lesson the hard way, it is not worth it to run through pain that will lead to long-term damage later on.

Cold/Flu Season
I usually get one bad sinus infection every year, and this year it struck about 10 days before my race. I quickly got on antibiotics and was well enough to run the race, but I took a break from training for about a week. It’s not ideal, but again, sickness is going to happen, and my body needed tine to rest. Taking time off of training for a little bit was not the end of the world, I was still able to run the race. And over the counter medicine was definitely my friend!

Bad Weather
Where I live in Texas, it gets extremely hot in the summer, and also super cold/icy at times in the winter – the “worst” of both worlds it seems. I love running outside, but I have limits to what conditions I will run in. My backup plan is running on the treadmill at the gym, which I don’t love, but it’s better than 18 degrees or pouring rain. Maybe you’re more hardcore than me and will run in any weather… certainly you can’t control the weather on race day, so be prepared with necessary gear (hats, gloves, etc.) I also love having running pants with POCKETS, because inevitably I will get too hot about a mile into my run and need a place to store my hat and gloves.

So, are you ready to start training??? I’ve taken a week off of running since our half marathon, and I think it’s time for me to get back into it. Here’s to running more in 2024!