Hello friends and happy Monday! It’s hard to believe that Fall is already in full swing, but these extra-crisp mornings have me feeling some type of way. Sitting here sipping my pumpkin spice, I have to say that the best part of the season so far has been finally running that half marathon I signed up for this summer. It wasn’t pretty, and it certainly wasn’t sunny, but a whole lot of blood, sweat, and tears later, we made it – largely thanks to having the best support system there to cheer me on! It’s such a great feeling to accomplish something that seemed so unattainable for so long, and an even better one to be on my second week of ~ laying low ~ after accomplishing said goal. So without further ado on this fine morning, I’m going to grace you with a few tips that might help anyone thinking about trying one out for themselves sometime soon.
Here’s a few lil’ training tips:
- Establish a strong base. I’d recommend making sure you can comfortably and consistently run four miles before officially kicking off training. This was the third half marathon I’ve done, and in each case, I had already been running pretty consistently before taking the plunge and actually committing myself to a race, which I then generally picked for at least 3 months out.
- Pick your race. Now that your base is established, it’s time to decide where you’ll be running those miles! I recommend paying close attention to course maps and elevations – I personally think out and backs are much easier to get through mentally, and obviously prefer a flatter route where possible. Pick the one that feels best for you!
- Set aside time for one longer run a week. At first, I just made sure I was running a few times a week and working up to a 10k or so, but once I wanted to go farther than that, I dedicated my post-work Mondays for my long runs.
- Recovery is key. Before a long run I made sure to take a full two days off from working out (a great part of the week, if I do say so myself), and after said long run I always reserved the next day for a rest day or restorative yoga. The farther along you get, the more important this is!
- Run/eat at the same time as you will on race day. This one I didn’t do, and wish I had. I do my best running later in the day, and am not a morning person, so having to try and rally for an 8am run when I’m used to a 5pm one wasn’t the easiest – not to mention the fact that I normally don’t eat breakfast until at least 10 and had to scarf down some toast at 7am to be ready to go.
- Mix in a lil’ strength training. And I do mean a little – I probably didn’t do this enough, because my legs were certainly ready to give out during the race. BUT I highly recommend incorporating some Peloton strength workouts to cross-train and make sure all parts of your body are ready to support all the work you’re doing! Ben Alldis, I owe it all to you.
- Consider a massage or a trip to the chiropractor before AND after the race. All that running is bound to take a toll on your body, and oftentimes you don’t realize how much you’re in need of a reset. My neck and lower back especially get super tense when I run a lot, and I walk out feeling like a new person after either appointment.
- Try using an energy gel during long runs. This was my first time doing this, and it definitely helped get me push through those last few miles. It gives a little burst of energy and helps feel more hydrated, so why wouldn’t you want to mix it in? Just make sure to try it out before race day!
- Make a great playlist. This one is arguably one of the most important aspects of the big day. I like to listen to fast-paced Soundcloud mixes when I run, and I made sure to find some new ones that I was excited to listen to the week of the race. Make sure to toss at least two hours’ worth of your favorite tunes in a playlist and you’ll be good to go – and when in doubt, Big Bootie it out.
- Make sure you have a great support system! Lastly and most importantly, it’s such a great feeling to have people there for you during the big day. My mom and three of my best friends made a whole weekend out of the event and stood in the pouring rain to cheer me on, and I really couldn’t have done it without them. THEY are my sunshine, and I highly recommend bringing some of your own too!!
So now that you’re prepped and ready to go, let’s talk about race day itself. I chose to do the Cape Cod Half Marathon, because Falmouth is one of my favorite places and is also conveniently close to where my mom lives. While it was a great experience overall, it definitely had its (literal) ups and downs. So here’s a breakdown of my actual experience.
Here’s how it went:
- The morning of. I wake up. It’s 6am, it’s dark, and as I feared, it is indeed raining. I drink a lot of coffee and eat some peanut butter and banana toast, then hop in the car to head to the course.
- The start. It’s busy, adrenaline is high, everyone gets their bibs, and look at that! It’s raining even harder.
- Mile 1-2. And we’re off! It’s crowded and slow moving, with everyone passing each other while also swerving lots of puddles. I personally think this is the most frustrating part of the race, because you’re ready to really get moving and it takes a while for that to happen.
- Mile 3. The crowd has finally spaced out a bit and we’ve picked up the pace. It’s still early and feeling nice and easy, and we’re already almost halfway to the turnaround! (Note – this is why I like out and backs better – mentally, it’s easier for me to break up the course into more approachable chunks this way.)
- Mile 4 and 5. We’re still feeling good and we’re over a third of the way done! I had also gotten the first hill out of the way pretty easily at mile 4, but was certainly not looking forward to seeing it on the way back.
- Mile 6-7. We’re officially hitting the turnaround and heading home! I’m feeling great, using that energy gel, and picking up the pace!
- Mile 8-9. Realizing that I maybe got TOO excited about being halfway done, we’re slowing down a bit and the legs are feeling quite dead – right in time for some hills. Thank God my friends were stationed here to get me through!!
- Mile 10-12. Anddd we’re finally getting to the home stretch. It’s feeling like pure survival mode at this point, and I can’t feel much of anything. Did I mention the rain has picked up?
- Mile 13. It’s the final countdown!! We’re really just putting one foot in front of the other here and getting to the finish line as fast as we can – and having a crowd there cheering everyone on certainly helps.
- The finish. And then just like that, a little under two hours later, it’s over! This is obviously the best part, though the torrential downpour definitely dampened it a bit this time – but have no fear! There was still time to celebrate with everyone before limping back to the car to head home for a hot shower, a lot of rest, and a big meal with my favorite people!
Despite its challenges, I really can’t recommend doing a half enough. The feeling of accomplishing something you set your mind to really is like no other. Now that I’ve had some time to recover, I can’t wait to do it again next year – this time in the sun! ☼
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