Hal Higdon: Half Marathon Novice 1: The Novice 1 program is designed for beginning runners who want to prepare for their first 13.1-mile race. If you have run several half or full marathons before, you might want to take a look at my Novice 2 half marathon program, which is designed for more experienced runner.

First-timer? This is the program for you. In choosing the half marathon, you are choosing the most popular race distance in America. According to Running USA, 2 million runners did a half marathon last year. That is four times the number of the half million who ran full marathons. If your long-range goal is 26.2 miles, a 13.1 mile race offers a good starting point. Or if 13.1 is more than enough race mileage with no desires to go 26.2 (at least for now), you have discovered one of my most gentle training programs. If you can handle the 3-to-4-mile runs prescriibed in Week 1, I will get you ready to run 13.1 week at the end of 12 weeks.

Click on the attached chart for a look at the 12-week schedule, then click on the attached directions for some information on how to run the workouts. That information is also available on my website: www.halhigdon.com.

Other than that, each day I will send you emails telling you how to train. And perhaps even more important, I will include tips and other motivational material to push you out the door each day. Good luck as you train for your half marathon using Novice 1.

Consider also visiting halhigdon.bluefinapps.com to obtain an app for your iPhone or other e-device.