my first half marathon!

my first half marathon... and my very first race! yeah, i went for it straight out the gate. 

i signed up for a half marathon because i had been running a lot, and running further and further with no real goals... just running to run. which was a lot of fun, but having something to work to is more fun! so i was looking into races and i saw an ad for the Title 9 Mermaid Run. And it was on sale. And it was months out. So why not!? so i signed up for it! 

here's how i trained for it: 

i signed up for it at the beginning of November. At that point I had gotten up to about 9.5 miles. So from that point, my plan was to increase my mileage by about 10% each week. And throughout November I kept up with that, mostly. I was running just over 10 miles by the beginning of December. 

But December was a rough month. I was sick on and off throughout the entire month which really threw off my training schedule for the race. By the end of December, I still hadn't broke 10 miles. It was a tough month of training. 

So come January, I had to fit in A LOT of runs that I was planning on spreading out a lot further apart.January had my first 11 mile run, the next week was 12 mile run, then the 13.1 mile run, which put me 3 weeks out from the race. Let me tell you, those runs were not fun. It was a lot, and it was really tough on my body and honestly, it wasn't a lot of recovery time so my body was exhausted AF. My first half marathon run through was at a 2:13:36 and most of it felt pretty terrible. All of run times had gotten much slower than they had been in November, which was pretty frustrating, but i figured just finishing the half marathon race would be success enough. 

But I did make myself have a goal of a sub- 2 hour half marathon. which meant cutting off 13 and a half minutes off my first run through.

I figured I could definitely beat the original time because my outside training load would be significantly lighter than it was during the other weeks, but cutting 13 mins off was a long shot. i had to cut off over a minute each mile for it to be possible. 

the weeks leading up to the race i tapered off my runs. 10 miles 3 weeks out, 8 miles 2 weeks out, and not much the week of. 

the week of the race, Monday was fairly average workout wise and after that everything was really, really light. the farthest i ran the week of the race was 3 miles. and i did only one HIIT run session for 25 mins, and that was on Wednesday (my last real workout [minus kettlebell sport] of the week). I rested Thursday (minus KB sport) and Friday. 

Then on Saturday it was race day!

the days leading up to the race I was drinking over 150 oz of water every day. 

the day before the race, i ate a lot of fruits and easy tasty carbs. all of the foods I knew my body could process easily so i wouldn't feel terrible while running. so dinner was hashbrowns, canadian bacon, and eggs. 

Race day: 

woke up early AF, drank a cup of coffee, and headed out to the race site! on the way i snacked on welch's fruit snacks, which is basically the only thing i eat before/during runs. 

got there and sipped on water and had a really nice extended warm up. i was ready to go pretty early on so I had to keep on moving to keep warm. 

FINALLY the race started and once i got going, i basically kept the same pace throughout the entire race. it was suuuper convenient because there was race pacers. basically holding signs saying what the pace they were going for were at. i ended up chilling with the 2:00 hour pace guy for about 85% of the race. after mile 10 or so i broke off and went a little further ahead and tried to push my pace just a little bit. 

tbh, i don't think really hit a full on wall during the race, but i did definitely feel my knees and ankles getting progressively more ache-y. 

anyway, the last couple of miles i was just focused on one foot in front of the other and the third best moment was seeing that 12 mile marker, second best was the 13 mile marker, and obviously the best moment of the race was finishing it! and finishing it under 2 hours!!! (the timer said the 1:58:54 and the chip timer clocked me in at 1:58:47!) 

as soon as i finished it i got water and basically collapsed on the ground chugging water. my knees and ankles were shot. it was rough. but i was outrageously proud of myself. and once i had a minute of sitting colt and i walked around so my muscles didn't get too tight. 

the worst part was the MILE long walk back to the parking lot that had my car. that was tough. my legs were not having it. 

but overall...  it was a really great time. the race was better than any of my runs that i had done in training and i was able to maintain a really great speed throughout. and i will definitely do another race in the future... but probably not a half marathon again. not for a while at least. my body took a beating during this training cycle. and the recovery time was honestly longer than i would like it to be, especially because i am training for more than one event. plus it would be fun to push my pace on a shorter distance. and then it would also save A LOT of time to do shorter runs cause training for long distance races just takes long time. :) 

also, shout out to Title 9 & Mermaid Series for putting on a great race. Now, I don't have anything to compare to, but everything went super smoothly and started right on time and the route was super easy to follow and it was really great. definitely had zero stress on the part of the actual race day because of it. so much appreciation to them! cause let's be real, i can find a whole lot to be anxious about, so it was a miracle and a half that i didn't have any of that on race day (minus just general pre-competition jitters)

so there's my thoughts on my first race. definitely not my last race. but man do i need some time to rest up from this one. my legs, hips, knees, and ankles are definitely still really, really tight from the race and i think it'll end up being a few days before i'm back at 100% but i am really, really proud of myself for doing this race and for hitting my goals! 

also, shout out to Title 9 & Mermaid Series for putting on a great race. Now, I don't have anything to compare to, but everything went super smoothly and started right on time and the route was super easy to follow and it was really great. definitely had zero stress on the part of the actual race day because of it. so much appreciation to them! cause let's be real, i can find a whole lot to be anxious about, so it was a miracle and a half that i didn't have any of that on race day (minus just general pre-competition jitters)

if you're looking to train for a race or for anything else... contact me so we can work on a program for you! check out my instagram or my facebook or just drop me an email! 

if you have any questions about my training or anything else... just leave a comment! :) 

THE best kind of cardio

if you don't feel like reading the whole post, i'm gonna just spoil it for you at the top. and it's not an answer that you're gonna like tbh. ready for it? IT ALL DEPENDS! depends on what you like, depends on injuries you may have, what your goals are, and depends on what you have available to you. 

so i'm going to let you know what the benefits of each kind of cardio is and let you figure out what's best for you. 

1. walking: the easiest kind of cardio that you're probably already doing. it's low impact and just about anyone can do it. it's simple & effective. walking 30 minutes of day has numerous health benefits including lowering blood pressure and improving circulation. and you can do it just about anywhere and anytime!

2. jogging/running: now i know that everyone has some sort of vendetta against running but it is a great cardio workout and it takes almost no special equipment. it has all the benefits of walking with disease reduction and lowering bp, it's just a little faster. the drawbacks are that it is higher impact and can be tough on your knees and feet so it's not for everyone. BUT after running you get that ever spoken of runner's high. which is real and it feels great and honestly is why i keep going back to it.

3. jumping rope: have you jumped rope since you were on the playground in school? if not, you should! personally, i am TERRIBLE at jumping rope but damn is it a great cardio workout. not only does it get your heart rate up, it also builds your agility and quickness and coordination. plus a jump rope is cheap, takes almost no space to store, and only a little space to workout in. once again, it can be a little tough on the body because you're jumping but there are modifications that can be lower impact until you're able to go full out.

4. rowing: definitely a full body cardio workout. not only is this a cardio workout but you'll definitely feel it in your upper and lower body for some strength building, as well. it's low impact too. so if running is off the table because it hurts your knees, then definitely get yourself on a rowing machine. helluva calorie burn too! 

5. swimming: the lowest impact cardio activity. if you've got injuries then swimming is probably the best option for you. there's a very low risk of injury. it also strengthens your muscles! basically all of them because swimming is a full body workout. and swimming builds up bone mass, which is a definite benefit if you have osteoporosis or arthritis. and swimming is a good option if you have asthma, because it helps with your lung strength and endurance.

6. cycling: another great low impact cardio exercise. along with all the health benefits of regular cardiovascular exercise, since it's lower impact... you're less likely to get injuries. and it is a great exercise for when you're coming off of an injury. 

7. sports: general, i know. but definitely a solid cardio option. there's SO MANY different sports that you can play that will get your heart rate up and you moving. plus most sports include dynamic movements which is great for you. AND you're usually working with a team which creates accountability. and on top of that, the competitive aspect of sports will help push you farther than you typically would in a normal cardio workout.

plus you can adjust intensity by doing long interval steady state (LISS) or high intensity interval training (HIIT) throughout most of these options. 

there are lots of other kinds of cardio you can incorporate too, but these are the basics that most people will have access to. but if you have 'em... battle ropes, kettlebells, sled push/pulls, bodyweight training, boxing, stairs, dancing, or hiking and so much more. 

 there's something out there for you to do to get a great cardio workout in!

but if you don't know where to start leave a comment or message me here or on facebook or instagram.

and if you're really lost, and you live around here, we can set up a fitness consultation at my new job at 24 Hour Fitness! drop me a message if you're interested!