Training and Completing My First Half-Marathon
Happy Wednesday! I hope you had a great weekend. I know I certainly did!
I crossed off a big bucket list and summer goal this weekend. I ran my first half-marathon.
I am extremely proud of myself and the fact I accomplished such a feat. Today, I wanted to share my running journey, how I prepared for it, and what’s next.
The start line
As a little bit of background, back in 2023, I set a goal to run a 5K. I always hated running as I was growing and was not into athletics, but I wanted to set a goal for myself physically to accomplish something besides just working out at the gym. In the spring of 2023, I started running for fun. I started very small, like running a half mile, then mile, working my way up to three miles. I started running in my driveway and just a few days a week. In August of 2023, I ran my first 5K at a local community fair. I loved the feeling of running in a race and the sense of accomplishment.
My first 5K
A few months later, I ran my local Turkey Trot 5K on Thanksgiving and wanted to push myself even further.
In 2024, I set a goal to run a 10K. I kept up with running two days a week, mostly going back and forth on my long driveway. I ran my first 10K in July and once again was hooked on the feeling of racing.
I decided to step out of my comfort zone and try running in new places. I ran in local parks, by the water, on vacation in San Diego, Rome, and Boston, and really loved the feeling of running in new places. I decided to run the 10K version of the Turkey Trot in November and it was a great experience except for the fact it would be my last time running outside for about three months.
We had an awful winter with snow, ice, and freezing temperatures. I had to force myself to run on the treadmill (which I hated), but it was only for short distances. I also spent a lot of time running on turf at the gym.
The weather finally broke and I could get outside to run again and it was the GREATEST feeling ever. During this whole time, I had just been running for fun. But for this new year, I wanted to push myself and run and train for my first half-marathon.
Views from a run in Boston
I am by no means an expert or running professional, so I decided to enlist some help from the experts. My uncle has raced and trained for half-marathons, marathons, and Iron Men for his life, so I knew I was in good hands.
I started training in April and quickly learned that running for fun and training are two very different things.
He would come up with weekly workouts for both running and lifting, focusing on speed, pacing, agility, hydration, and endurance.
My new running supplies and go-to’s!
I really enjoyed the training process and learned a lot about myself as a runner when it came to being focused, and locked in, and paying attention to timing. I kept track of my runs, how I felt, my timing, and pacing. It was interesting to see how it varied week to week and how I got stronger and faster.
I was in great shape and feeling good when things took a turn three weeks before my race and I got an overuse injury on my foot. After trying to push through, I ultimately had to take a week off to rest, which was very hard to do. As someone who loves to move whether it be through walking, running, yoga, the gym, lifting, having to stop was a challenge, but I knew it was for the best.
Besides overuse, a lot of my pain in my foot stemmed from the fact I wasn’t properly stretching before and after running. During my week off, I did A LOT of stretching, more than ever before. I quickly realized how important stretching is to working out. Lesson learned the hard way.
After a week of rest, icing, elevation, and pain relief, I felt better to get back to work, but I had to ease into movement again, still no gym and lifting, but short runs. This new normal continued until the week of the race. Short runs and stretching. Before my injury, I was running eight miles, now I was down to two. The furthest I had ever run was twelve miles back in December, but most of the spring and summer was focused on shorter runs, so I was worried about how race day would go, but I was determined to complete it.
An example of one of my runs.
The day of the race arrived, I had my clothes ready, my hydration bottles, and running gels loaded, and my playlist queued.
All my supplies ready to go!
My goal was to finish the race and not be the last one to cross the finish line. The bar was low and I just wanted to have fun.
Race ready!
My brother and I both competed.
The rainy mist and early morning start was the perfect conditions for running. I felt strong and motivated through my entire race. I kept up with my pacing and finished in under two and a half hours and I wasn’t the last.
My family came to cheer me on!
After months of training and years of running, there was no better feeling than crossing the finish line.
I never thought I would become a runner and eventually compete, but life has a funny way of working out.
Running my first half marathon didn’t happen overnight. It took years of working my way up in miles, exploring new places to run, and listening to hours of podcasts and audiobooks (Thank you: The Lazy Genius, Simplified, Books, Beach, and Beyond, Boneheads, and the Simple Sophisticate podcast.)
This is not the end of my running journey, what’s next? 26.2 in 2026!
