JOE running tips: The half marathon

This week JOE is bringing you a simple race running guide to get you back into shape. Today we look at covering the half-marathon.

By Declan Whooley

Yesterday we brought you tips and advice on a 10km run. Today we step it up to a half-marathon, or 21km to be more precise.

A half-marathon may sound a little daunting to novice runners. The best advice we can give is to forget the word marathon and remind yourself that a 10km is not a huge undertaking. This is just double the distance.

Like any run, it is a case of mind over matter. You can dedicate yourself to a detailed training plan – here is Run Ireland’s 12 week plan – or you can set your target of finishing comfortably in a pace that suits.

Pace will be key.

It is easy to push yourself too far at the beginning of the race. The race nerves, having faster runners for company and your own expectations mean the temptation to over-do it at the beginning is high in the extreme.

If you pardon the expression, it is a marathon (well half at the least), not a sprint. One good way of overcoming this is to have run the 21km at least once before the race. There are different schools of thought on this, but for an inexperienced runner, covering the distance at least once will let you and your body know how it feels. This will help curb your enthusiasm at the start of the race itself.

Nutrition and hydration can be paralysis by analysis, but make sure to have a good meal in the morning and rehydrate along the way.

It's not just spring-chickens that partake in runs

We could stress the importance of training, but 21km is not exactly Iron-Man standard. Sure it will be tough going and is an achievement on completion, but you should not get too worried by the distance itself. We were born to move, so a couple of hours running should not be beyond the capabilities of most of us.

Age cannot be held as an excuse either. In America, more than 20 per cent of athletes competing in half-marathons last year were aged 40+.

The half-marathon will give a runner confidence in their ability and do reduce the fear over larger distances. The next challenge should then be a full marathon.