So I ran a Half Marathon
December 3rd, 2022
Unsure how I even got to this point. I ran a half marathon circa 2012 in the Baltimore Running Festival. I am pretty sure I solemnly swore I would never run another one again. Honestly, I think I texted a mentor of mine and said “first and last, never doing that again.” So like I said, I don’t know how I got here.
Maybe, I was bored. Maybe, I need something to work toward. I don’t know how it happened.
But back in June 2022, I RANDOMLY and I mean RANDOMLY decided it was time to commit myself to running another half.
Lucky for me, my aunt had gracious volunteered my uncle to run with me. So there it was. The most impromptu decision ever.
I think a lot of my best decisions are made on a whim.
If I think about something too long, I’ll end up talking myself out of it.
Fast forward roughly 16 weeks, it is complete! I finished the race.
I actually PR’d my time by 21 minutes, which is kind of impressive. Or I was basically walking my first half marathon in 2012. Who knows! But it is done!
The race took place in Orlando, Florida. Track Shack were the hosts for this one. They put on a pretty awesome race. Between race course entertainment (live bands, Elvis, DJs and more), they had a well thought out course. Amazing volunteers to help keep us safe throughout the 13.1 miles. Even certain miles of the course were decorated, which helped me distracted.
Obvi, they didn’t decorate for just me.
So the question that I have gotten multiple times… would I run another?
Before I answer that I want to give you some of my key takeaways from training the last 16 weeks.
You need a plan to follow. Just going out for runs and maybe longer ones on the weekend, wont cut it. You need to progress your mileage and even train your speed.
Find a buddy or group. Not only did my uncle commit to running. My best friend also decided to run. Having her join made training much easier. I was able to have someone suffer with me each week as we progressed through the plan. I don’t think that I would have given up training but it just made it more enjoyable.
Find days to stretch. I am a firm believer of stretching post workout. But now more than ever do I truly believe you need lower intensity days which include specific mobility whether it be restorative yoga or 10-15 minutes of static stretching.
Get your body used to running in all types of temperatures. So the race was in Florida, but I live in Maryland. This time of year the weather between the two states are almost polar opposite. So my last three weeks of training were insanely cold which means my body started to get used to that temperature. But then when I had to run in humid, mid 60’s - 70’s degree sunny days, it was a pretty drastic change. I almost got overheated toward the end since I was no longer acclimated to such a hot temperature.
Just have fun! I knew I was not going to win. It wasn’t even a thought that crossed my mind. But I knew that at the end I wanted to be able to say I enjoyed the process of training. Which I can confidently say is true! I really enjoyed training for this race, it even gave a slight itch to keep running.
So to answer the very first question, would I sign up for another half marathon?
Probably. I am not completely against it. I can’t say that I absolutely love it. I want to say that 10ks might be where my bread and butter are. I really really enjoyed the 10k that I completed in October. My goal from here on out is to be able to confidently sign up for races without hesitation because I believe in my running ability.
So whether you are an avid runner or someone that is thinking about getting into it. I hope you learn something from this post. I hope that you find the confidence to challenge yourself in a different way.
Also, keep an eye out! Maybe I will have a running program available. But make sure that you subscribe to get all the updates of new programs, blog posts, free resources and more.
