How To Choose The Right Half Marathon For You

With literally hundreds and hundreds of half marathon races across the country and around the world to choose from, how do you pick the one to run that’s right for you, particularly if you are a beginner? For most people, the answer is most likely driven by their work and vacation schedules, but it’s a good idea to consider as wide a selection of possible choices before committing to a race.

Especially if you’re a beginner and the only race near your local area is a difficult race designed for experienced runners, you’ll want to consider running your half in another city, to make sure your experience is a positive one. Here’s a few points to consider when choosing your race:

Location

No doubt, this is the number one factor for most half participants in most areas. And it’s usually a good guide for selecting your race, especially for beginning or intermediate runners who don’t want to take on the travel and lodging expenses of running a race in a faraway city.

However, consider additional factors when you’re selecting the location of your race, including the number of participants, the course views and the level of organizational support. Running a race that is well-attended will be an enjoyable experience that will offer plentiful fan support along the course, especially through the difficult later miles and the finish line!

Weather and climate

Because nearly all marathons and half marathon races take place in the fall, winter and spring months, participants usually don’t have to worry about excessive heat during a race. Particularly in Southern climates, race organizers are careful not to schedule their events during the often brutally hot summer months.

But rain, snow flurries and other inclement weather can put a damper (quite literally) on your race, so it’s best to check the average temperatures and rainfall for the area you’re considering for your next half well in advance. This writer has run a couple of events in the rain, which can slow down your time significantly and make the entire event a dreary affair, so the advantages of planning for wet weather (bringing a rain jacket or poncho) are clear.

Also, consider running your half in climates that get little or no rainfall, such as the Southwestern states, where many races also offer beautiful, scenic views all along the course.

Road race or trail race?

Road races are by far the more common variety of running races, but trail races (including 10K, half marathons, full marathons and even ultra-marathons) are rising in popularity in recreational (and especially mountainous) areas across the U.S. It’s important to note, however, that trail races generally attract much more experienced runners and are designed for participants looking for very challenging events.

Trail running calls for different kinds of shoes and gear, which you’ll need to own and have experience running in before you want to consider a trail event. For that reason, a road race is probably a more suitable choice for most runners, unless you feel you have the stamina and commitment to run a trail race.

Elevation changes

This is probably the most difficult element of a half to gauge if you aren’t already familiar with the terrain and the city/area of a race you’re considering running. Some half marathons can have long, steady elevation changes (such as the marathon & half marathon at the Bermuda International Race Weekend, which challenges participants with a steady incline about halfway into the race), while other races feature almost entirely flat race courses.

You can get some idea of elevation changes on race websites, many of which offer both course layout and course elevation maps and diagrams. The best way to get an accurate sense of how “up and down” a particular half marathon is for runners, however, is to call the race organizers and ask to speak with someone who’s actually run the race herself. Be sure to ask about particularly difficult spots or rises in elevation, and recommended ways for runners to tackle them.

“Fun” factor

Another difficult element to figure out until you actually run the race, the “fun” factor can mean several different things: How many people turn out for the race? How many participants take place? Do the race organizers permit “characters” in the race (people running in costume, participants running backwards, etc.)? These can make for some great memories and help take your mind off your run during the race, which is particularly helpful the further you get into a race.

Terrell Johnson is an Atlanta-based writer and runner who has completed several marathons, half-marathons and 10K road races. He runs the website HalfMarathons.Net, which provides information on half marathon events throughout the U.S. and around the world.

http://www.halfmarathons.net

Article Source: http://EzineArticles.com/?expert=Terrell_Johnson

The New York Marathon – The World’s Largest

The New York Marathon attracts over 35,000 participants each year, all entering either the men’s, women’s or wheelchair participant categories. The race first started in 1970, has been run every year since, and is the world’s biggest annual marathon, narrowly beating London to the title on the basis of runners completing the course.

In 2007 Paula Radcliffe scored an amazing comeback victory at the race, leading the women’s race from start to finish and completing the course in an amazing 2 hours 23 minutes and 9 seconds. The men’s race was won by Martin Lel of Kenya in 2 hours 9minutes and 2 seconds who out-sprinted second-placed Abderrahim Goumri in sight of the finishing tape.

World-class athletes such as Lel and Radcliffe are drawn to the race not only by the $900,000 prize fund but also the global TV audience of almost 315million. Many of the amateur athletes, who make up the majority of the participants, compete to raise money for charity and to enjoy the thrill of running past the two million spectators that cram the 26-mile route.

The Marathon takes in all five boroughs of New York City, starting on Staten Island. Almost the entire first two miles of the race involves crossing the massive Verrazano-Narrows Bridge over the Hudson into Brooklyn, before turning northwards. After 13 miles the route then traverses into the borough of Queens, before entering Manhattan over the Queensboro Bridge. After four miles the route crosses into the Bronx, where runners cover just over one mile in the last of the boroughs to be visited before heading south back into Manhattan. The last stage of the race takes the runners through Harlem and finally into Central Park where they complete the last three miles of this gruelling race.

The race finishes in front of the famous Tavern on the Green, which provides a dramatic contrast of the foliage and vegetation of Central Park against the concrete jungle of the surrounding skyscrapers. The congestion at the finishing point is best described as crammed, and anyone thinking of watching the finish in person should avoid this area unless they can view it from one of the many overlooking windows or terraces of a nearby Fifth Avenue apartment block or Central Park hotel in New York.

And with residents are just as keen – if not more so – on watching the race than visitors, the whole day exhibits a fabulous ambience, and definitely offers one of life’s great experiences.

Matthew Pressman is a freelance writer and frequent flyer. When not travelling, he enjoys golf and fishing.

Article Source: http://EzineArticles.com/?expert=Matthew_Pressman

How To Choose The Right Half Marathon For You

With literally hundreds and hundreds of half marathon races across the country and around the world to choose from, how do you pick the one to run that’s right for you, particularly if you are a beginner? For most people, the answer is most likely driven by their work and vacation schedules, but it’s a good idea to consider as wide a selection of possible choices before committing to a race.

Especially if you’re a beginner and the only race near your local area is a difficult race designed for experienced runners, you’ll want to consider running your half in another city, to make sure your experience is a positive one. Here’s a few points to consider when choosing your race:

Location

No doubt, this is the number one factor for most half participants in most areas. And it’s usually a good guide for selecting your race, especially for beginning or intermediate runners who don’t want to take on the travel and lodging expenses of running a race in a faraway city.

However, consider additional factors when you’re selecting the location of your race, including the number of participants, the course views and the level of organizational support. Running a race that is well-attended will be an enjoyable experience that will offer plentiful fan support along the course, especially through the difficult later miles and the finish line!

Weather and climate

Because nearly all marathons and half marathon races take place in the fall, winter and spring months, participants usually don’t have to worry about excessive heat during a race. Particularly in Southern climates, race organizers are careful not to schedule their events during the often brutally hot summer months.

But rain, snow flurries and other inclement weather can put a damper (quite literally) on your race, so it’s best to check the average temperatures and rainfall for the area you’re considering for your next half well in advance. This writer has run a couple of events in the rain, which can slow down your time significantly and make the entire event a dreary affair, so the advantages of planning for wet weather (bringing a rain jacket or poncho) are clear.

Also, consider running your half in climates that get little or no rainfall, such as the Southwestern states, where many races also offer beautiful, scenic views all along the course.

Road race or trail race?

Road races are by far the more common variety of running races, but trail races (including 10K, half marathons, full marathons and even ultra-marathons) are rising in popularity in recreational (and especially mountainous) areas across the U.S. It’s important to note, however, that trail races generally attract much more experienced runners and are designed for participants looking for very challenging events.

Trail running calls for different kinds of shoes and gear, which you’ll need to own and have experience running in before you want to consider a trail event. For that reason, a road race is probably a more suitable choice for most runners, unless you feel you have the stamina and commitment to run a trail race.

Elevation changes

This is probably the most difficult element of a half to gauge if you aren’t already familiar with the terrain and the city/area of a race you’re considering running. Some half marathons can have long, steady elevation changes (such as the marathon & half marathon at the Bermuda International Race Weekend, which challenges participants with a steady incline about halfway into the race), while other races feature almost entirely flat race courses.

You can get some idea of elevation changes on race websites, many of which offer both course layout and course elevation maps and diagrams. The best way to get an accurate sense of how “up and down” a particular half marathon is for runners, however, is to call the race organizers and ask to speak with someone who’s actually run the race herself. Be sure to ask about particularly difficult spots or rises in elevation, and recommended ways for runners to tackle them.

“Fun” factor

Another difficult element to figure out until you actually run the race, the “fun” factor can mean several different things: How many people turn out for the race? How many participants take place? Do the race organizers permit “characters” in the race (people running in costume, participants running backwards, etc.)? These can make for some great memories and help take your mind off your run during the race, which is particularly helpful the further you get into a race.

Terrell Johnson is an Atlanta-based writer and runner who has completed several marathons, half-marathons and 10K road races. He runs the website HalfMarathons.Net, which provides information on half marathon events throughout the U.S. and around the world.

http://www.halfmarathons.net

Article Source: http://EzineArticles.com/?expert=Terrell_Johnson

10K Run and Saving for a Kick

Many long-distance runners and enthusiasts will go to a 10K competition to see how they can do in their age categories and they also want to do a good showing for family and friends and test out all their training and see how they do. This makes a lot of sense, as if you are going to run everyday and train for such then you want to put in a good run.

It is rather evident when watching these runners do their Saturday 10K that they will hold back a little in the middle of their run and then save some for the last mile or half mile and some even the last quarter mile so they can come striding in and looking good to their family and friends.

Sure, I guess I understand that and yet it seems to me that if they would concentrate on running the middle of the race hard they would be passing others along the way and get themselves into a stronger pace and surely complete the 10K with a much better time in the end.

If you are going to run a 10K and you truly want to post the fastest possible time and perhaps win you age category or post your personal best then you need to stop trying to save your energy for the kick at the end and concentrate on the middle of the race.

It is only 6.2 miles and you are only out there for a half an hour or more, so you need to work very hard to strengthen your stride and then you will post a much better time you can be proud of and take home some hardware (trophy), which will in the end make you much better and make you much happier. Consider all this in 2006.

“Lance Winslow” – Online Think Tank forum board. If you have innovative thoughts and unique perspectives, come think with Lance; www.WorldThinkTank.net/. Lance is a guest writer for Our Spokane Magazine in Spokane, Washington

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