The pressure is on....any advice for a newbie?

That would be awful to stop at 26.1! LOL! Oops!

Just wanted to peep into this forum and congratulate you again!  I am so inspired by your progress to continue my own and it's good to know I can come here for help as I increase my distance and it get's harder...........

One thing I have learned is that even though I am running and training like crazy, I can still bounce up in weight, it bit me right before my race, so don't eat too many carbs.........there's a book out about the Paleolithic Runner's Diet, basically a guide to eating like a caveman but meeting the body's needs for running, I have really thought about buying it because my library doesn't have it.  They only have the regular paleolithic diet book........

Hi Kernie!!
It's good to see you here. This forum has been so helpful to me.

I know what you mean about the diet. It's really tricky. I was reading in Runner's World about how even a pound can slow you down, but then you want to be sure you are getting enough as an energy source. Agh! I guess it's a learning process like anything else.

Good luck to you and you know I will be rooting for you!!

Jenny

i know EXACTLY how you feel.  i signed up for my first half on turkey day and have been having some IT band/knee issues lately that have hindered my training.  i am going to push through as much as i can, but if it comes down to it, i am going to choose long-term health over my committment to this one event.  i don't want to let anybody down that i've told about this event, but more importantly i don't want to let myself down.

that being said, i'm going to continue to train through the pain and will only quit if i feel i am going to cause permanent damage.  we're all a bit insane on this board in my opinion... myself included :)

Thanks for the advice. Best wishes to you!

Congratulations on signing up and training for this event. I too am doing my first half. Mine is Rocka nd Roll San Antonio November 15th and then off to do a full in Houston on Jan. 17. Likw Dan said, I watch the high fiber foods before a long run. I get carbs from baked potatoes and baked sweet potatoes when I dont feel like pasta (which isnt very often, you would think I was Italian)

The thing that really got be going in triathlon and running as well was signing up for that first event. My heighest weight was 470 and even thinking about a race was hard for me to do. But once I registered and sent the check, I was now accountable and it helped me get out to train on those days where it would have been real easy to stay in bed.

Congratulations again and keep daring greatly!

Wow! I'm impressed with so many of you guys on here. Thank you for the great advice and encouragment! Best wishes to you!

 Thank you for your post. I have signed up for the turkey day 1/2 in Atlanta and I have been running into some set backs recently.  I ran a 10k last sunday and I really pushed it to hard and now I have some right knee problems.  So when I went for my 4 mile run today I just took it really easy.  I have a 15k this sunday and I am going to try walk thru the water stations instead of running through them like I do for my 5k's. I am also going to try gue in a race.  I have done it once during my practice runs.  

good luck on your run and keep us posted with your progress, it helps to hear other people going through the same things.  

shane

Thanks for your response Shane. It is nice to share experiences. Best wishes to you and your knee!

Jenny

 Jenny, don't worry about anyone else but you.  Do what you can and be satisfied with that.  You won't be letting anyone down if for some reason you don't finish.  You don't owe anyone anything by running the half marathon whether you finish or not.  So many times I read where someone is upset when they fail to perform as expected on a certain day in a specific event.  The event is the culmination of all the hard work and training that one does leading up to the event.  The success or victory is in the journey, not the destination.  All the hard work in training for the event is what makes you stronger.  

Remember not to push yourself too hard in training before the event.  I know that my right knee doesn't like for me to run two days in a row, so I don't even when my mind is telling me to go run.  I crosstrain so I don't get injured or burned out.

My advice is to enjoy your training and your half marathon.  Don't put expectations on yourself and don't let anyone else put their expectations on you either.  This is about you and you're doing it for yourself.  Your family will reap the benefits of a healthier you.

Duane