Happy Hydration Wednesday (sounds better than Hump Day!)     

Thousands of runners around Columbus are counting down the days to the Cap City Half Marathon on May 3.  Our group has seven runners training for it, several of which are first-timers.

Here are FIVE tips to carry you through the final month of training…  

1. As your long runs creep past 60-90 minutes, some people begin to use ‘fuel’ while running.  You CAN run a half marathon without fuel (just drinking water), but I typically do refuel around the 60 minute mark.  I LOVE Honeystinger chews but other popular favs are Gu (liquid & chomps) or even just Gatorade.  SEE WHAT WORKS for you during training runs, as you don’t want to try something new on race day!
2. I don’t recommend trying any new type of fitness that you haven’t tried before, just to be safe.  Insanity, CrossFit, Speed work… if your body isn’t used to it, no sense subjecting yourself to injury this late in the game.  Wait until after race day.
3. The same goes for pre-race breakfast as well as your race-day outfit.  Try something NOW, during your long training runs, to make sure your body likes it!  My go-to pre-race meal is typically half of a whole grain item with [yummy oh-so-delicous Krema Nut] peanut butter and a banana.  I stay away from coffee on race day, but I know runners that gulp it.  I also ALWAYS test out my outfit at least once.
4. If you need new shoes, DO IT NOW.  I recommend at least 3-4 weeks of running in shoes to break them in.  I made the mistake of buying new shoes one week before running the Pittsburgh Marathon… you do NOT want the blisters I ended up with, not to mention a potential injury!
5. Tapering is an important part of training.  More on this later.  Don’t go too hard those last couple weeks.

I’m sure there is other good advice out there, but those are my top five pointers.  Enjoy your last month of training… all your hard work is about to pay off!

Do you have any TIPS for that last month of half marathon training?  

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