In the article, Sloan discusses the importance of a training plan.  “Twelve weeks of training is very common for a half marathon,” says Megan Sloan, an RRCA-certified run coach  at Smith Physical Therapy+. However, she explains you may need even longer to train for a half marathon if you’re starting straight off the couch. That’s because you want to go into half marathon training with a bit of an aerobic base, says Sloan. “Being able to run three miles is a smart idea, but not 100 percent necessary,” she says.

For first-time half marathons, the most important workout of the week is the long run. “There’s no magical long run number you need to run before race day, but a 10-mile long run is quite typical for beginners,” says Sloan. “There’s no need to do more than that!”

She goes on to say, “If you’re coming from a 5K and 10K background, chances are you’ve never used nutrition while running,” says Sloan. “You’ll want to replace the carbohydrates and electrolytes that you’re using every 30 to 45 minutes while running, because your body only stores so much—and replacing these midrun can be a game-changer on race day!”

Read Full Article  (only available with a Runner’s World subscription)