8 things we Learnt While Training for a Half-Marathon

We like a challenge so we’re always looking for new ways to push ourselves. One of the challenges that we set ourselves was completing a half-marathon and, while we were training, we realised a few things so we thought we’d share them with you. 

 

1. Having a training buddy is useful – providing motivation, moral support, accountability, and sharing snacks. 

 

2. Do your preparation – stretching and warming up properly are important. 

 

3. Set your own pace – your body will have its natural pace. If you go too fast you’ll burn out. Go too slow and 

it can feel unproductive, so listen to your body. 

 

4. Know your end goals but focus on the mile you are in - run that mile. Build on small successes and you’ll 

reach your goal. 

 

5. Don’t dwell on ‘failures’ – yes, we missed some training runs but it’s important not to dwell on it and move 

on. Just don’t give up. It’s important to know your limits too. When we had injury niggles, we had to listen to 

what our bodies were telling us. This meant we had to be flexible and re-evaluate our training plans 

whenever necessary. 

 

6. Take time to focus and clear your head - running in the early morning was empowering, peaceful, and 

beautiful because it gave us time to think. Headspace, whatever time you prefer to run, is invaluable: enjoy 

it! 

 

7. Overanalysing won’t help – we obsessed over every niggle (well it is our job to do that I guess), what went 

well, what could go better, what we ate, what we drank, etc. It didn’t make any difference. Reflection is 

good, but go with gut feelings and don’t overthink it! 

 

8. Keep it simple – so many ads for products to make us go faster, run more efficiently, or help us get that 

elusive PB. Ultimately, the most important bit of kit is yourself. Take care of yourself with good nutrition, 

hydration, and decent trainers. Also, listen to your body. 

 

We are fully qualified sports and remedial massage therapists. We specialise in sports and deep tissue massage, injury rehabilitation, and prevention. 

 

We’re here to help! Give us a call, email or book online.