doing a half marathon/first triathlon

manofb

Hey folks,
i'm hoping to do my first half marathon in may, and maybe a tri event too if i can say no to the demon drink! as it is i can 5.5 miles in 50 min fairly handy. but i could really use some decent tips on how to move up the distances etc to a stage where i can do the 13.1 miles.
for example should i train for about 15 miles in order to have some extra push left if needed etc?
also any tips on nutrition would be great, i dont eat much crap but should i up protein intake or carb load in the hours prior to a run etc??
thanks for any advice/ smart comments etc

TheLargerBowl

What sort of weekly mileage are you doing now, and have you done any shorter races?

In general, the Hal Higdon novice and intermediate plans are pretty good for your first HM, I used the intermediate one for my first half last year. You could also have a look at the Runners World UK 1:50+ program. If you don't have a strong running base already, then I wouldn't go much longer than about 11 miles in training, the adrenaline will carry you to the finish line on the day plus you're reducing the injury risk in training. That's just my opinion, and others will probably take a different view.

manofb

i tend to mix training up a fair bit, like 2 swims a cycle and some gym work a week. i've done one 4 mile road race so bit of a novice in thos terms.
i'll check out those links thank v much.