After finding my (hilariously unachievable) 30 before 30 list, I realized one of the only things I might be able to attain in the next few months was doing a Half Marathon. I really wanted to do a Disney Half, but quickly dismissed that after seeing the price tag (we're talking hundreds.). My hometown was offering one at a more pleasant price of $30, and it was in the right time of year, so I signed up before I could change my mind.
I was so grateful my mom and sister agreed to do it with me! My sister and I started training in late September, and we both agree this was one of the coolest things we've ever done. I don't think either of us has ever successfully seen a goal through like this. The progress we made training was so apparent, before we knew it we were running 8 or more miles on the weekend. (Run/Walking anyway.)
Our race was on February 2nd! It was by far the hardest thing I've ever put my body through, but also admittedly, I was amazed at what we were able to do. It actually didn't become "hard" until the last mile or so. Can you believe that? I ran 11ish miles thinking it wasn't that bad. 13.1 is truly a challenge, but gosh, the human body is amazing.
Here are a few snaps we took along the way:
The route was so fun! We got to take in quite a few local 'famous' spots, and it was so fun to look at something different than our usual routes. There were a lot of runners, but we quickly ended up at the back of the pack. We mainly ran intervals (like 1 minute running, 1 minute walking) and there were lots of other pairs with the same strategy. I will say it was a challenging course, Tallahassee has a lot of hills!
The race started Downtown, went past Lake Ella, through Midtown, Cascades Park, Meyers Park, FAMU and FSU! It was funny to see the Capitol building from all directions.
I can't believe how emotional it was at the finish. I was excited the whole race, but had no idea how it would feel crossing the finish line. I think it was a combination of how hard the last mile and a half was, how I was with my sister who I trained with for so long, seeing my husband, brother in law, and nephews cheering for us, the crowd, the announcers saying we were first time Half finishers, the exhaustion...all of the above left me in tears at the end. You can see it in the photo above, even though I have sunglasses on, I was overwhelmed!
We burned 1,300 calories and made 24,000 steps in that 13.1 miles!
I have to absolutely RAVE about my race outfit. After months of being taunted by ads, I finally tried Fabletics. To say I was blown away is a gross understatement! As a runner, I am incredibly picky about my workout clothes. If your leggings are falling down, or your sports bra isn't supportive enough...even if a hair is out of place, it can ruin your run!
After getting new shoes (which I also LOVE! I've got these Brooks), I wanted to get a matchy-matchy outfit for the race. It was sort of as a treat as well, for all the hard work we put in. I decided to go with the Powerhold Fabletics leggings in navy (of course.) Dude, I can't tell you how good these leggings are. I will say it takes an effort to get them on as they are quite tightly woven. But, once they are on, they aren't budging. Everything stays perfectly sculpted, compressed and yet still amazingly comfortable. I'm not kidding, they are SO good.
Does anyone else have trouble with sports bras? I have always had a hard time. Mediums are too tight, and larges are too loose and unsupportive. I took a gamble and tried 2 different styles from Fabletics and I am AMAZED at how fantastically these fit me. Perfectly comfortable, yet supportive. 10/10! Plus, the Mila style has a pocket for your phone!! We actually used it to hold our IDs during the race.
Not the best picture, but I wanted to show you the pocket!
If you are in need of some workout clothes, you have to try Fabletics. I was very skeptical, but I am a complete believer. I'd even pay full price for these clothes...which should speak volumes because I never pay for anything that isn't on sale. It is a subscription based thing, but you should at least take advantage of the introductory offer. If you use my link to sign up it's 2 leggings for $24 (!!!). They claim you can cancel anytime.
I don't have the budget to get new Fabletics every month, but it's been super simple to skip so far. My plan is to replace all of my sports bras slowly over time. The one's I've been using are trashed!
In case a Half Marathon is in your future, I can totally attest to this schedule! We followed it almost to a T, and it worked great:
So, what's next?! We are taking a week or two off, and then I'd like to keep a similar 3 day a week running schedule. My hope is to find another Half in the fall to keep myself conditioned. What I really want to do is a 5k. I'd love to see how quickly I could do it. I bet it will feel incredibly easy after what we just did.
Leave a comment below and tell me if you've ever done a Half Marathon! Have you ever successfully trained for something and saw it through to the end? And let me know if you've tried, or want to try Fabletics!! Do you see ads for it all the time like I did?
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