Take on the challenge with the help of our expert training tips

With over 500 half marathons in the UK every year, running 13.1 miles – or 21.1km – has become one of the most popular events to train for. Why? It’s a physical (and mental) challenge without the same amount of dedication (or time) needed to complete a marathon.

In former Olympian and Garmin Coach Jeff Galloway’s book, Half-Marathon: You Can Do It, he writes that the goal of a first-time half-marathon runner should simply be to ‘finish in the upright position, with a smile on your face, wanting to do it again’.

For beginners wanting to finish with a smile, there’s a lot to think about. From trainers and Garmin watches to strength training and soundtracks, we asked some of our favourite running coaches and athletes to share their top tips.

‘One thing that I often see hinder training for new runners is blisters,’ says Lillie Bleasdale, founder and head coach of PASSA, an online run-coaching platform for women. ‘Getting yourself some good running-specific socks (rather than your usual cotton ones) and also the correct-fitting trainers is really key.’

ASICS FrontRunner and 2.37 marathoner Holly Stables agrees. ‘My best piece of advice for any newbie is to invest in the right trainers. Get a gait assessment at your nearest running store so you know what support you need. Go for at least a half size up from your casual shoes if you value your toenails.’

‘Increase your distance overall by no further than 10% each week to help avoid overloading the body, and support your training with strength work too,’ says Lillie. ‘The key run of your week is going to be the long run, so prioritise this one when life gets in the way.’

Following a specific plan is an easy way to increase your mileage – and tick off different types of sessions (such as tempo sessions and hills) – without putting your body at risk of injury or overtraining. It can also keep you accountable on days when your motivation waivers. Garmin Coach offers 12- to 26-week half-marathon training programmes that sync workouts directly to your watch and adapt to your goals and your performance in the plan. So if you're continually hitting each session (and finding them easy), the plan can push you harder. Or, if life gets in the way or you get sick or skip a couple of sessions due to holidays, then your plan will cater for those missed workouts. Plus, you get guidance from expert coaches, too.

‘In the weeks leading into the event, ensure that every item used on race day is tried and tested,’ says Saucony athlete and 63-minute half-marathon runner Dan Studley. ‘Plan a long run a few weeks before to trial your entire race-day kit list, and take on planned nutrition to ensure it feels good and your stomach can tolerate it.’

Studies have shown that listening to music during exercise can decrease the rate of perceived exertion and improve energy efficiency and performance. If you’re a Spotify Premium, Deezer or Amazon Music user, you can install the associated app on various Garmin watches – including the Forerunner 245 and Forerunner 645 – and sync music and podcasts directly to the watch via Wi-Fi (so you can run phone-free).

‘Ensure your training in the two weeks leading into the event gradually decreases in volume and intensity,’ says Dan. ‘Nothing you do in the week leading into the race will make you run a faster time, but it could certainly make you run a slower time. A taper week should make you feel as fresh as possible for race day.’

‘The traffic-light approach is an effective way of doing this,’ says Jonny Mellor, Team New Balance athlete and online coach. ‘Use green as your focus to the halfway point, to help you hold back early on and get to halfway in control. Amber is halfway to 10 miles, by which point you know you’re in a race, but you’re not yet all out. Red is the final 5km push to the finish. This approach will help you finish strongly and enjoy the experience.’

Garmin has a feature called PacePro, which provides GPS-based pace guidance. This means, if you have a goal time in mind, it will break the course into sections and give you a set pace to run, depending on the gradient and terrain (as it also takes into account any large hills). Essentially, it’s like having a coach on your wrist, telling you whether you’re running at the right pace, if you need to slow down or speed up to stay on track to meet your race goal.

For more information on Garmin’s GPS running smartwatches, visit explore.garmin.com/en-GB/forerunner/