For some context, I’m not a professional runner. I’m just a gal who fell into the classic soccer-to-cross-country-pipeline in high school. I sprained some ligaments in my ankle at a soccer tournament the summer before my sophomore year and spent the fall season at Seattle Children’s doing physical therapy. When junior year came around, I knew I wouldn’t make the junior varsity soccer team, but my parents told me I had to do a sport, so I signed up for cross country. I enjoyed it, but I wasn’t that fast, although these days I’m striving for my high school paces (athletic.net is forever #iykyk).
I ran a little in college and was registered to run the OC Half Marathon in spring of 2017. In a tragic turn of events, it randomly hailed that morning (in May!? In Newport Beach, CA!?) and I was drenched and freezing at 6 am and simply could not fathom running 13 miles at that point. My fitness level went downhill after I graduated college and started my 9-6 corporate career. I wish I could say I was one of those people who got really into exercising during the pandemic, but I unfortunately did not take advantage of that time.
Five years after not running the OC Half, I finally completed my first half marathon in Bellevue, WA in September 2022. Earlier this year, I ran my second half marathon in Las Vegas at the Rock’n’Roll half marathon in February 2024.
*Lively by Laura is a part of several affiliate advertising programs. This means that if you click and/or make a purchase through certain links on this site, I may make a commission from it, at no extra cost to you. As an Amazon Affiliate, I earn from qualifying purchases. All opinions are my own. Thank you for supporting my blog!
These days, I’m running about 15-20 miles a week and I’ve learned a lot since my high school cross country days. Like any sport, there are techniques that will help you become a better runner. These are the tips that I wish I had known before I started making running half of my personality.
1) Sign up for a race ASAP
When I’m not training for a race, it’s so easy to cut my run short or push it to the next day. Having a race that I’ve paid for and a firm date gives me the motivation to consistently train. You could register for a race in a vacation destination and make a trip out of it. Disneyland and national parks host races every year, too!
2) You have to run slow to run fast
It’s easy to hate running when you’re pushing yourself hard every time, lungs burning, sneakers pounding on the pavement. Most of your runs should be easy runs, which can be 2-3 minutes per mile slower than your race pace.
3) Find a training plan
Google a training plan, whether it’s for 1 mile or a marathon. I tried to train for my first half marathon in college by just going for long runs and even though I didn’t end up running that one, I don’t think I would’ve been successful. For brand new runners, I recommend looking up a “couch to 5k” app in the app store and then I used the Nike Run Club app’s training plan for both of my other half marathons. It’s totally free and has pre-programmed weekly workouts to build up to a 5k, 10k, half marathon, and full marathon. Using a plan also makes sure you’re hitting the 4 most common types of runs:
– Easy (recovery) runs: The majority of your runs are at your easy pace. You could carry a conversation fairly easily and you aren’t at your max heart rate.
– Speed/interval runs: These are runs where you push yourself for a certain distance or a shorter period of time. Maybe you’re sprinting 4x800m or 10×2 minute intervals at your race pace. These are the hard workouts that you would do once or maybe twice a week.
– Fartlek runs: Fartlek means “speed play” in Swedish and these are runs where you vary your pace throughout the run.
– Tempo runs: These are runs at a tough pace, but a pace that you can maintain for 20 minutes.
4) If you want to run without pain, you should incorporate weight training
When you run, you put a lot of stress on your body and you’re going to figure out where the rest of your body is weak. Speaking from experience, most peoples’ hips and glutes aren’t very strong, which can lead to knee and ankle pain. A strong core also helps with your stability in running. So basically, your whole body needs to be strong.
5) Join a run club
I find that running is a lot easier when you’re running with other people. Run clubs are all the rage right now, and I wish they were big a few years ago. It reminds me a lot of being in high school cross country. They welcome all paces and they’re great for finding running friends! I also find that I push myself more and run faster when I go to run club. I’ll pick a person ahead of me and try to stick with them! If you’re in Los Angeles, check out LA Running Connoisseur for a comprehensive list of run club schedules throughout the city.
6) You need to eat during long runs
If you’re running longer than 60 minutes, you should bring some fuel with you on your run. You can buy little packets of liquid containing carbs and sugar, called “gels” that give you energy while you’re running. I trained for my first half marathon not knowing what gels were, and I definitely felt under-fueled and was dying on my last 5 miles. The most popular gel brands are Gu, Honey Stinger, Huma, and Maurten, but new brands are emerging all the time. Some brands also make chews or waffles if you don’t like the gels. Some have caffeine and electrolytes. They all have different flavors and textures, so test different kinds out and see what works best with your stomach.
7) Follow running influencers on social media
There’s an influencer for everything these days and these athletes will teach you so much about running in their daily IG stories and TikToks. I’ve learned about workout examples, race day tips, technology, nutrition, running routes, etc. I don’t have TikTok, but my favorite running influencers to follow on Instagram are Nick Bare, Meg Takacs, Brett Chody, Courtney Kitchen, Mallory Killmer, and Becky Briggs. I’ll also listen to the Nick Bare Podcast and Coach Bennett’s Podcast for more running tips.
View this post on Instagram
8) Get some hair wax
There’s nothing worse than having your sweaty baby hairs getting in your face. No one told me this, not even the running influencers (maybe they don’t have baby hairs?), but using a hair wax stick will solve this problem. I used hair gel for my second half marathon, but this hair wax stick from Amazon has been kind of life-changing.
9) Run without headphones every once in a while
I always think of the scene in Bride Wars where Anne Hathaway is running without headphones and Kate Hudson is speed walking with headphones. We consume so much media during the day, sometimes you just need to run alone with your own thoughts and clear your head.
10) Your shoes are important
Running is a relatively cheap sport, but you do need good shoes, which will likely cost $80-$150. Don’t just get the latest trendy Hoka or On running shoe, go and get fitted at a running shoe store where they can recommend shoes by observing your gait, arches, pronation, etc. A running app like Nike Run Club or Strava can keep track of your mileage for each pair of your shoes. Most shoes will wear out every 300-500 miles, so if you’re using your running shoes for walking around as well, then keep this in mind. If you’ve been wearing the same pair of tennis shoes for the past three years, you should probably go buy a new pair to start your running journey.
RECOMMENDED READING
My First Half Marathon Training Progress
Is ClassPass Worth the Money? My Review After 80 Classes
Reviewing LA Run Clubs (Part 1)
