running

I'm running in the Pittsburgh marathon this weekend (just the half for me this first time). I'm really nervous. Anyone have a great tip?

Give yourself mini goals as you go. Things like, "I'll run til the next water stop, the next mile, or whatever marker you chose. When I ran my first (and only so far) half,I kept doing that and made it to the last water stop before I took water (I know....hydration is important). And, I kept picking out a new person ahead of me that I wanted to pass. It kept me entertained.

I'm running my 1st half marathon tomorrow morning too! Good luck!!!

Good Luck!

Either walk through the water stations or squeeze the top of the cup together to limit the flow of water/powerade into your mouth. The first time I went through a water station during a 1/2 marathon, I tried to just run through it and drink normally and inhaled half the water.. I spent the next quarter mile trying to cough the water out of my lungs. Not fun! And don't get too caught up in the excitement of race day and start out way too fast, because you'll likely burn out (unless you're crazy fast and awesome.. which maybe you are..) - If you know your average minute/mile pace, have a watch on and try to stay true to your goals so you know whether to push harder or slow down a bit!

Also, be sure to use the restrooms/porta-potties as many times as humanly possible before the race starts.

Cups of water over your head/face at each station...so damn refreshing.

Good luck. You will surprise yourself. A little nerves can be good. If you've never ran a "race" before you will notice that adrenaline is your friend on race day. Imagine yourself at the finish line, but remember to pace yourself. As long as you've been training, put "raceday" out of your mind and focus on feeding your body good race fuel and resting. Let us know how it goes!

The best piece of advice my neighbor gave me was start out at your slowest pace, everyone is going to go full throttle out of the starting line, they will loose momentum, about half way through, start to kick it up to your normal speed and then the last 3 miles, run like you have never ran before, the crowd cheering will keep you going, good luck and post your results!

i'm starting keep fit tomorrow and i hope it go's well with out giving up