My first race ever will be the Rival Run Half Marathon

[butterscotchcollins]

You read that correctly: I have never, ever run a race. I'm not even much of a runner. But I've been inspired by DH who runs a couple of half-marathons a year to do one, and of course if I'm going to torture myself like this it's going to be on the most fun course I could possibly imagine! I'm really excited, a little nervous, but mostly super pumped to achieve this goal.

Commiseration, tips, or general excitement for this race welcome! (I've read a lot of the other threads but felt weird jumping in as a complete amateur).

And oh yeah, I chose the Dark Side

 

[Ponoche]

Congrats on taking that first step. I was the same way, saw the Dark Side weekend trending on Twitter, and didn't even know about RunDisney. But I asked myself why not, and signed up for the next year. It was my first race, and it was a gateway. Just pick a training plan that you know you can stick to (as much as possible), and don't forget to have fun. But be careful, the first race is a gateway race.

 

[LdyStormy76]

No worries about jumping in as an amateur, we all were at one time. Come join us on The Running Thread!

Three pieces of advice:
1) Pick a training plan and stick with it. Your focus should be on gaining comfort with a 15 minute mile pace while safely increasing distance.
2) Start practicing with fueling and liquid now. Being comfortable refilling a bottle while on the move takes practice. While rD is good with their water stations it will be April in Florida.
3) Find a local 5k in the next few weeks and go do it. Treat it as a training run. It will be good experience.

 

[Warm Hugs]

Good thing about your first half marathon is you will have a gurantee PR (personal record)

 

[butterscotchcollins]

Thank you guys for the advice! Week 2 and I'm feeling good. I'll jump in on the running thread so I can keep everyone posted

 

[Jeff Morris]

You read that correctly: I have never, ever run a race. I'm not even much of a runner. But I've been inspired by DH who runs a couple of half-marathons a year to do one, and of course if I'm going to torture myself like this it's going to be on the most fun course I could possibly imagine! I'm really excited, a little nervous, but mostly super pumped to achieve this goal.

Commiseration, tips, or general excitement for this race welcome! (I've read a lot of the other threads but felt weird jumping in as a complete amateur).

And oh yeah, I chose the Dark Side

YOU GO!

 

[sandam1]

Commiseration, tips, or general excitement for this race welcome!

I would recommend trying to find a local race - any one will do, but a larger race is better - to run first.

I ran my first half last January. I did our local Turkey Trot (14,000 entrants) as part of my training and it helped me figure out A LOT of things that I needed to know about food/water strategies, what to wear (or not wear) and how to pace myself. I found out to put the earbuds in BEFORE you start actually moving and that my running watch was NOT going to work in large crowds (i.e. I couldn't hear the beeps). I learned how to much time to leave to get to the start line and how to maneuver around people who are going at different speeds than you are. My running belt got its first try (loved it thankfully).

The first race confirmed some of my instincts and made me move onto Plan B for other things. Every person is an individual so what works for someone else won't necessarily work for you. Better to find that out before the big day IMHO.

 

[Sleepless Knight]

Commiseration, tips, or general excitement for this race welcome! (I've read a lot of the other threads but felt weird jumping in as a complete amateur).

My very first race ever was the 2011 Disneyland Half Marathon. So every single one of us started somewhere. So please don't feel weird or new or anything like that.

No worries about jumping in as an amateur, we all were at one time. Come join us on The Running Thread!

I second this wholeheartedly. I use to believe (very wrongly as it turned out) that The Running Thread was only for very accomplished runners who were substantially faster than me. Instead I found a community of runners with very different experiences and very different paces. Never once was I made to feel like I had no place. Rather I met so many people who helped me become a much better runner. I learned so many things that have helped me immensely. Eventually I came to discover that I wanted to attempt the marathon distance. And I have since finished 2 marathons. And that never would have happened without so much help from the running thread. So please don't be a stranger and don't feel like you somehow don't measure up.

I would recommend trying to find a local race - any one will do, but a larger race is better - to run first.

I read this recommendation so many times before my first race, but I was so terrified of not being able to finish that I decided not to. I concluded that if I was going to fail in my first race, then I should learn that in the race I really wanted to finish. Well, suffice it to say I made a lot of mistakes in that very first race that contributed to making the race far more difficult than it needed to be.

I only registered for half marathon number two because I really wanted the Coast to Coast medal that runDisney offered when Disneyland also held half marathons for completing a half marathon at Disneyland and Disney World in the same calendar year. I concluded that while I hated running, I could tolerate two more times to earn that medal and then be done with it forever. But then a funny thing happened. I learned from my mistakes both in training for race number one and in running race number one. I managed to not repeat those mistakes for the most part. And I wound up having a tremendous time in both races. Next thing you know I was registering for multi race challenges at runDisney race weekends and as it turned out, roughly 6 years after laughing when a cast member asked me I would be back for the marathon because I vowed I would never run a marathon, I found myself toeing the line for the Walt Disney World Marathon. And finishing it.

So yes we all start somewhere. You can also join in on the Star Wars race weekend thread where we speculate about the course, share training highs and lows with each other, and because it's a Star Wars race also geek out from time to time over Star Wars.

 

[tigger536]

Welcome! We all started somewhere. My first race was the JG 13.1 in December of 2015. My biggest mistake for that one was that I brought with me two cliff blocks. Not two packs, two blocks.

Some advice:

1. Follow some sort of plan. You don't need to train to the full distance, 10 is plenty. Also, don't worry if your training runs are slower than you want the race to be, most of them should be easier. You're building endurance.

2. Salt tabs/ pills. Find them at a running store or amazon. Learning this saved many a race for me, especially ones where it is very hot and humid.

3. Practice with your fuel of choice (and have enough of it!)

4. Have fun! You will never forget your first race. Don't be afraid to stop for pics if your pace allows it.