What I Learned From My Half Marathon

A couple of weeks ago I finally ran my first half marathon. Running it was so much fun and I had such a rewarding feeling when I crossed the finish line. As much fun as I had training for it, I also learned a lot about myself and about motivation. Some of what I learned can sound a little weird at first, but all of this is what helped me accomplish my biggest goal of this year.

| Find a strong support group | 
This was huge for me. My support group was primarily my parents and a couple of girls that I ran cross country with. There were several times where I was questioning my ability, but each time these people came through and convinced me that I can do it. The ability to rely on my family and friends greatly helped me through the toughest times in training. 

| Push Yourself | 
The whole idea of this half marathon was for me to push myself. I am always one to have a goal. I would tell anyone to push yourself to get your goals. Victory tastes so much sweeter when you've worked so hard for it. 

| It is okay to take a break | 
About two months into training I got shin splints that were bad enough that I was almost in tears when I ran. My parents stressed that it is okay to not be running all of the time. I knew they were right so I ended up taking a week off, running again and finding out my shins were still in rough shape. I took another week off, but it was so hard because I was afraid that I wouldn't finish. Fast forward to the race and I was able to run the whole thing. Even though taking a break from things might seem like a bad idea, if what you are doing is painful or stressful it is totally okay to take that break. Everything will end up okay.

| Don't be afraid of failing | 
When I started training my I had a goal of running the half in under 2 hours. Once I got hurt I was terrified that I wouldn't be able to run at all, let alone reach my goal. I knew that I didn't want to stop training so I kept it up, but came to the realization that I wouldn't make my goal. I ended up being about 7 minutes short of my goal, but in the end I did everything I could and surprised myself with how well I ran. Even though I "failed" at accomplishing my initial goal, I am still so proud of the fact that I did my absolute best and never gave up. 

| A good song can change anything | 
I never really knew how true this was until this summer. When running, the song you listen to matter with regards to your pace and energy. Once I found a couple of great songs to listen to when I ran, I found that I was doing substantially better. Even more importantly than my running pace, I found that my attitude improved greatly as well. I found myself loving to run and always in a better mood when I finished. The music changed the whole way I looked at my run. 

xoxo,

Maddie