Half Marathon...

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Doing a half marathon a week on Sunday and really nervous! I've only done one race before which was a really quiet one, and this is a much bigger, city one which is freaking me out a bit. Usually just run on my own! Going to take music to listen to and just focus on running but getting really, really nervous... Anyone else done a half marathon/marathon?

I've done many half and full marathons.

I'm not one to listen to music when running, I enjoy listening to the sounds around me and always have a song running through my head on repeat. I also prefer being able to listen to my surroundings and the sound of my footfall is part of feedback when my form is getting sloppy.

It's good etiquette to seed yourself at the start line according to your expected finishing time with the fastest runners at the front and slowest at the back. Typically those who will do 1:45 - 2 hours will be mid pack and those expecting to take 2:30 or longer in the last quarter of the pack. By doing this the people around you are roughly your pace and sort of "pull" you along. You're less likely to feel intimidated by people pushing past you because they are much faster.

I hope you have a great run this Sunday, don't forget to drop in here and let us know how you go!

I've ran a half marathon. The last miles were tough. A lot of the running was between fields, and it helped me when we were in areas that had actual public to distract myself from the running! I run with music too, but I had a buddy to motivate me during the half marathon.
Have fun! I hope you have a great run.

Chaffing is a thing. I wear yoga type pants or shorts to avoid it. Also, body-glide might be your friend.

Otherwise, what the others said, "seed" yourself. A lot of half-marathons have pace groups, you can look for someone holding a sign with what you expect your pace to be (i.e. I'm usually in the 9:45 or 10:min group).

If it's a really big race, you might be stuck walking the first half mile or so until things spread out a bit. My first half marathon was the Disneyland half, and even though we were seeded by time they put the walkers in front of the runners so it was a big mess and very crowded.

Personally, I like to have one headphone in for a longer run so that I can hear my zombies run app and then the other ear bare so I can hear what's going on. If it's going to start cold and warm up, you might want to wear a sweater that you won't be sad if you throw it away mid-race.

Good luck and listen to your body!