My First Half Marathon (How I Trained & Prepared)

I am so proud to announce that last weekend, I ran my first half marathon! If you follow me on Instagram, you know I’ve been training for the last 10 weeks. I’m still in disbelief that I was able to push my body this far to actually run 13.1 miles, especially since 6 months ago I could barely run a 5K. Now I want to emphasize that I was not super fast and I feel I could have done a little better, but I’m really proud of myself for actually finishing. I definitely want to run another half marathon and I hope I keep up with my running during the summer. If you’re like me and you did not/do not think you can run 13.1 miles, this post is for you.

I used to be avid runner in high school, but sort of gave it up my sophomore year of college. After my surgery last summer, I became so out of shape that I didn’t think I could even run a mile without feeling like I was dying. So when my roommate, Allison, told me she was doing a half marathon, I thought she was crazy. But then I thought that signing up with her would motivate me to get in shape before summer and really push myself in these last few weeks of the semester. I started a light training schedule around 10 weeks out from the race. I also started started drinking a lot of water and eating healthier. I want to reiterate that I am really slow and in no way a great runner. But I did finish this half marathon and I think if you really apply yourself, you can too!

You have to push yourself not just physically, but mentally. If you don’t think you can, you won’t. You really have to prepare yourself and push yourself, but with perseverance and determination, you can definitely do this.

I researched a lot about half marathons in preparation for this. I looked up the best things to eat, best shoes to wear, how to increase my distance and endurance, and what I should bring/do the day of the run. Overall, I found the best foods to eat were oats, peanut butter, bananas, healthy smoothies, nuts, sweet potatoes and chicken. I found that drinking a lot of water was vital the entire time you’re training and stretching will absolutely save you.

Tips for training:

every week, have a short run and a long run but spread them out. (I usually ran 3-5 miles on Tuesday and 7-10 miles on Thursday)
Increase 1 mile every week
Drink a lot of water everyday
Stretch after every run
Get good running shoes, but break them in
Listen to your body!
Rest when you need to

Week Before:

Stop drinking alcohol
Get enough sleep
Drink a lot of water
Start eating a lot of carbs
Don’t over exercise

Night Before:

CHUG water, seriously drink a lot of water
Carb Load (I had a pasta party with my friends)
Make a long playlist of songs that will help you zone out and focus
Charge your phone
Get some sleep
Pick up your race bib and packet info

Day of:

Eat something light right before like a banana or PB toast
Stop drinking water 30 minutes before you start
Stretch!
Wear layers you can ditch or wrap around your race

During the Run:

Drink water when you can
If you need to stop to use the bathroom, do it as early as possible and don’t hold it
Bring fruit chews or Starbursts to chew to give you a sugar boost
Keep a steady pace

The half marathon I did was called “Island to Island” because it started in Assateague Island and ended in Ocean City. It was a really beautiful run because it was along the water and I got to see the sunrise on the ocean. The best part about this run was also that it was super flat (Eastern Shore perks). There were water stations and porta potties every few miles so it was a pretty comfortable run (as comfortable as 13.1 miles can be). Overall, I’m proud of myself for finishing but I know I can run a better time next time. I definitely want to run another half marathon because there is seriously no greater feeling than when you cross the finish line! If I could do it before, I can do it again.