If you’re ready to run your first half marathon, congrats! You’ve come to the right place – my how to train for a half marathon guide.

Recently I ran my first half marathon in Abu Dhabi in about 2 hours. For years I’ve been doing 5km runs at least several times a week. For some reason 5km was my mental limit. Plus working offshore on a boat, doing much more than 5km on a treadmill is an absolute nightmare!

Several years ago I got in to the Insanity fitness program by Shaun T. It’s an incredible home workout schedule that really, truly does transform your body. (This is definitely not sponsored by the way, I rave about Insanity to my friends and family all the time). It’s gruelling and exhausting, you’ll sweat more in 10 minutes than you thought humanly possible, but when it’s over, you’ll feel like you’re on top of the world. If you properly follow each workout, you’ll feel fitter, stronger and more toned within weeks, it’s awesome.

After all this training, I thought it was about time I pushed myself further and sign up for my first half marathon event!

Training for a half marathon is such a fantastic way to continuously keep yourself motivated to exercise. It’s so much easier and fun when you have a goal ahead of you.

How to Train for a Half Marathon Guide

1. Firstly, if you’re a beginner runner, you should start training about 12-14 weeks before your half marathon event.

This will give you a realistic time-frame to properly train and run to your best ability. It also relieves the time pressure and it will limit your chance of injury.

2. Find out route details, and don’t forget to register for the event!

It’s a good idea to find out if the route is flat, hilly, what kind of terrain? So you can prepare for that during your training.

My first event was on a pretty flat island called Yas in Abu Dhabi. I wanted to do a fairly flat route and give myself the best chance of enjoying myself, and let’s be honest, actually make it through!

You’ll need details of the event sent to you, such as your bib number/t-shirt and whether you’ll need to collect it or have it sent to you.

3. If you love the idea of a structured daily workout plan, use a running app such as Nike+ Running.

I used the Nike+ app as a guide. It’s an absolute godsend for runners. It’s easy to use and such a great way to keep track of your runs. It uses GPS to track your route, distance, time and average pace. I love it and use it for all my runs now.

Through the app go to Coach, select Start a Program, choose Half-Marathon, select whether you’re a Beginner, Intermediate or Advanced, type in the Race Date and you’re set! It will take you through a 12-week program which mixes running with cross-training and rest days.

Using the app is pretty intense. I found it difficult to follow day-by-day for the whole 12 weeks because I was mostly limited to using an old, creaky treadmill on the boat (and heeeyll no was I going to run 16km on that thing). If you have access to outdoor running routes, or you just don’t mind the treadmill at all, the app is one of the best.

4. However, if you’d prefer a more “do it yourself method”:

A rough guide is to gradually increase the total km’s you run each week, alternating shorter runs with longer ones.

Start with about 20km the first week, adding more km to your runs throughout the training. Do one long run (most people do this at the weekends) with one rest day per week. The long runs should increase from about 9km to 16-19km, but don’t do your longest run within two weeks of the event.

5. Training for a running event doesn’t have to consist of running only, in fact it shouldn’t.

Ideally you should mix up running with a high-intensity circuit training type of exercise (such as Insanity or any HIIT workout) and weight training to maximise your running fitness.

I complemented running with the Insanity Max: 30 workout, following the more intensive schedule. For one of the months of training I was mostly doing Insanity only. When I eventually went for a run after, I felt fitter and stronger, which proves that you definitely can increase or maintain your running fitness through high-intensity aerobic exercises alone.

6. Have a workout buddy.

I wouldn’t have got through all the workout programs or long runs if I didn’t have a workout buddy. I did the run with my sister which I loved doing together. We encouraged each other through each day, especially if one of us was feeling more lazy than the other. It really kept ourselves motivated for our end goal.

When I was at work I encouraged a colleague to work out with me after shift. His fitness increased dramatically, it was amazing to see him transform after 4 weeks on the boat.

Even at work, doing a 30 minute workout with a friend or colleague during your lunch hour is the best break and brain reboot you can get.

If you have the chance, join a running club or classes at a gym such as circuit-training, spinning or even boxing. It’ll make your training so much more enjoyable without having to struggle solo through countless runs.

7. When it comes to food, make sure you keep your body sufficiently fuelled and hydrated.

A great bonus from training is that you normally don’t feel like pigging out on junk food or ordering a massive pizza after you’ve achieved an awesome, hard workout.

Also just because you’re increasing your cardio exercise doesn’t mean you need to hugely increase your carb intake, or give you a constant junk food eating pass!

If you are feeling low on energy, a great snack are these energy balls I make quite often, inspired by Deliciously Ella’s recipe.

These are the ingredients of an incredibly delicious juice I’m now having every morning (check out the recipe from the 3 day juice detox I did). It’s packed with fruit & vegetables, then blended with an avocado.

Super refreshing and keeps me full for the entire morning.

This chia seed pudding recipe makes a perfect snack or light lunch too.

And if you’re after some breakfast inspiration, this one goes down a treat! It’s nutritious, so tasty and keeps you full for hours.

For your dinner meal before the half-marathon, it’s good to have a carb meal such as pasta to give you as much energy as possible for the run. But don’t stuff yourself silly! (which I pretty much did). It’s important to drink lots of water the day before too to keep yourself hydrated.

For your breakfast meal the morning of the event, make sure you eat a substantial meal that you’re used to, 2 hours before the run. Tasty breakfast ideas that provide slow-releasing energy are porridge with almond butter and berries, muesli with nuts, figs and raisins or poached egg on toast with avocado and chilli flakes. Don’t go nuts and over-eat, or make something you normally wouldn’t have.

(Post update: I’ve since run my 2nd half marathon. I ended up making a huge lasagne the night before, and didn’t eat it until 10pm because I always forget how long lasagne takes. Then the morning of the event ate too much, too late in the morning. I panicked I would get hungry! I felt so heavy and uncomfortable. Totally regretted doing that. I should have read this post again and taken my own advice!)

During the run take a gel pack with you, ideally in a zipped pocket, to have after the first 10km so that you’re not low on energy. They actually taste much better than I thought they would. They’re super sticky though, so try not to get it all over your hands!

8. Use a running app during your run.

During my run I used an arm band that fit my phone so I could use the Nike+ Running app throughout the 21.1km. A voice tells you your distance after each km along with your time and pace. It’s such a great way to keep track of how far you’ve gone and if you’re running at your goal pace.

I also can’t imagine ever running without music. Having a good set of headphones is a must! I have the Bose SoundSport in-ear headphones (cheaper on amazon) that completely blocks out any outside noise. It’s sweat-proof which is kind of crucial, and the excellent sound quality is a given.

9. During the run, make sure you pace yourself.

You definitely don’t want to be gasping for breath within the first few km’s! I mentally set little targets for myself which helped a lot.

For example for the first 10km I ran at a comfortable, steady pace. After the 10km mark I tried to pick up the pace just slightly. And during the last 2km I pushed myself and picked up my pace further. Knowing the finish line is so close is such a wonderful boost, you might find you have an unexpected surge of energy moments before the finish line :).

10. Treat yourself after the race and feel very, very proud!

Keep yourself hydrated even after the race has finished. Treat yourself to an amazing day where I’m sure you’ll be feeling completely elated and relieved that you did it.

I finished mine with a great tapas meal and a big jug of sangria in the sunshine.

Finishing a half marathon is such an incredible feeling, you just can’t beat that sense of achievement. I hope these tips have been helpful.

Good luck! xx