The most important part to finishing a half marathon is to start it! You have to be in to win so start today by being in for the next half marathon in your local area. Make their date your date and start moving towards a great achievement. Here are seven ways to keep you motivated to finish:

1. Fill out the registration form early - commit yourself now! By doing this you are beginning with the end in mind and you know what you are aiming for. Let the end point be your master!
 
2. Declare your intention by Telling people you trust that you are going to do a half marathon. I always do this as a way of keeping me committed to my result. Then I say to myself "I said I was going to do that so I had better stick to it!"
 
3. Start small by walking around the block regularly- make it part of your daily or weekly routine. Remember - big change comes from smaller continuous changes so start small by walking around the block today!

4. Find yourself a walking buddy - it helps if you know someone is waiting for you. When I think about all my great achievements they have always included someone else to help me stay on track.

5. Join a running club - don't let the name put you off if you are a walker. Ask if they have walking groups amongst their athletes. Most Athletics clubs do so start by asking around. Alternatively you could join a local walking group. There are hundreds of these around the country so tapping into one of these is a great low cost start to getting fit.   
 
6. Start with a smaller event, say 5 km and 10 km,   and build up to a half marathon. It's really good to get some race experience under your belt as you move towards your larger goal.

7. Focus on the gain not the pain - think how good it's going to feel crossing that finishing line rather than worrying or dreading all the work it's going to take to get there. If you don't focus on failing then you won't. Besides - life is a failure rich learning environment so how can you fail! Go forth and focus on crossing that winning line and you will!

About the author

Julie is now a professional speaker and is a member of the National Speakers Association of New Zealand. As an inspirational speaker, Julie speaks to conferences, AGMs, community groups and schools. In October 2008, she made the top speakers and top topic list at the Coach Mecca conference held for Australasian coaches in Queenstown. Julie has self-published a book called "How to Make a Silver Lining" which details the story of her journey through blindness - from the Hospital Waiting Room to the Celebrations of her 10 years blind party.