What do other runners think?
 

I am training to run my first 1/2 marathon on May 1st. I am following an online program and I am currently starting week 3 tomorrow.

This program does not tell you how fast to run, just the amount of miles each day to shoot for.

My idea is to run the longer runs (which I complete on Saturday or Sunday) at about a 10 minute mile. Then I am going to run the shorter distances (3 miles and under) and run faster-up to a 8 minute mile.

Edited to add: Would other runners give me some insight here and let me know if that sounds ok? My thinking is that doing it this way will give me a better time for my 5k times without killing me on the long runs.

Any other comments/thoughts are welcome.

Thank you all!

It depends on your goals.

This is your first half, so for most, the goal is to simply finish. The key to any distance race, is to gradually ramp up your long run to close to race distance (for a half, 10-13 miles), so that you are accustomed to going that distance. The key to going long, is not to go too fast. You work distance first, then speed

Unless you have a good running base, then trying to ramp up distance AND speed is a recipe for injury. I'd suggest running the long run at a very comfortable pace, don't worry about the speed. If you are feeling good, then a once/week tempo run (shorter/faster) is fine, but listen to your body. The fastest way to injury is to try to do too much, too soon.

If you are a relative beginner, then you will find you naturally get faster just because you are running more, and more consistently. runnersworld.com has a lot of information on training, worth browsing through.

Just depends your comfort level. Personally that would be too fast for me. My first half I did at an average pace of 10:39. My next half is in August and I don't really care if I beat that speed or not. I just run what's comfortable and when I feel like pushing myself I do, and my pace has been improving.

As this is your first half marathon, I wouldn't worry about speed. Getting out there and being consistant about logging the miles is going to be WAY more important. Run at pace that is easy for you on your normal every day runs - a conversational pace. You should be able to talk without any breathing problems. Your long run should be run even slower so that you can go further.

Running too fast is just asking for injury, especially if you are a new runner. Let your body determine your pace and have fun!

This.

(Running too far--increasing mileage too fast-- isn't a great idea either, injury-wise.)