It's no secret that I love half marathons. I love training for them, I love running them, I love celebrating after I am done.
Once before I provided some great reasons to run one. You can check out those in my previous article " Why Everyone Should Run a Half Marathon ". And even Tom (a marathon fan!) got into the spirit and penned a follow up with even more great reasons and resources. And then, the momentum spilled over into the Lounge and even more runners shared their reasons to run a half marathon.
But that wasn't an exhaustive list - there are so many other great reasons. In fact, I sat down with 
Gregg Plaxton, a friend from the lounge this week to talk about why to do a half marathon. He had many reasons as well. Our conversation kicked off the first in a series of weekly podcasts focused on the half marathon. Give it a listen and take us along on your next run.
Download Half marathon challenge episode 1 why run
At the end of the conversation, it made me wonder why a runner should NOT run a half marathon? I know some of the reasons runners don't do it because of the time commitment or the fear of the distance. Or others because they don't know what to do/how to train or where to start. And even others question if the are runner enough.
But reasons like those have solutions. I have been fortunate enough to run a half marathon race distance over 15 times over the last few years. The number doesn't make me an expert, nor do my running skills. But the experiences has given me an appreciation of what a runner is capable of as well as what can be overcome. No two races have been alike and the finish line is always a savored accomplishment. My upcoming half marathon will be no different.
At this point, I expect it to be my last. I learned recently my knee troubles weren't a casual injury, but instead due to degeneration (arthritis and worn down cartlidge) and I am running myself to a knee replacement. A total of four doctors have told me to stop running- but I feel like I have a few more races to try before I fully heed their advice.
This training period will be radically different as I aim to baby my knee but still build my endurance. I am lucky to have a half Mary and 20k under my belt over the last few months- so I just need to maintain instead of build from scratch. This training plan will treat the run almost as cross training instead of the main event. It will be an interesting experiment along the way. My hope is my knee holds up for at least the next 4 months. This half will be like frosting on the cake - a very sweet topping to a great running year.
So, when thinking about "why do a half marathon?" - it is hard not to respond with "Why not?!?" 
Life (and knees) are too short to skip one of life's best experiences for any reason. I challenge you to do a half marathon this year. Join us as we enjoy the adventure of adapting to the distance and finding out what we are capable of doing. Don't you want to know what you can do?
Sure, it's called a half marathon but it is still a full challenge. Big enough to wear you out, but short enough you will still have energy to celebrate after you cross the finish line. And if you train with friends, we will help you get across that line.
Join us today!
It's no secret that I love half marathons. I love training for them, I love running them, I love celebrating after I am done.
Once before I provided some great reasons to run one. You can check out those in my previous article " Why Everyone Should Run a Half Marathon ". And even Tom (a marathon fan!) got into the spirit and penned a follow up with even more great reasons and resources. And then, the momentum spilled over into the Lounge and even more runners shared their reasons to run a half marathon.
But that wasn't an exhaustive list - there are so many other great reasons. In fact, I sat down with
Gregg Plaxton, a friend from the lounge this week to talk about why to do a half marathon. He had many reasons as well. Our conversation kicked off the first in a series of weekly podcasts focused on the half marathon. Give it a listen and take us along on your next run.
Download Half marathon challenge episode 1 why run
At the end of the conversation, it made me wonder why a runner should NOT run a half marathon? I know some of the reasons runners don't do it because of the time commitment or the fear of the distance. Or others because they don't know what to do/how to train or where to start. And even others question if the are runner enough.
But reasons like those have solutions. I have been fortunate enough to run a half marathon race distance over 15 times over the last few years. The number doesn't make me an expert, nor do my running skills. But the experiences has given me an appreciation of what a runner is capable of as well as what can be overcome. No two races have been alike and the finish line is always a savored accomplishment. My upcoming half marathon will be no different.
At this point, I expect it to be my last. I learned recently my knee troubles weren't a casual injury, but instead due to degeneration (arthritis and worn down cartlidge) and I am running myself to a knee replacement. A total of four doctors have told me to stop running- but I feel like I have a few more races to try before I fully heed their advice.
This training period will be radically different as I aim to baby my knee but still build my endurance. I am lucky to have a half Mary and 20k under my belt over the last few months- so I just need to maintain instead of build from scratch. This training plan will treat the run almost as cross training instead of the main event. It will be an interesting experiment along the way. My hope is my knee holds up for at least the next 4 months. This half will be like frosting on the cake - a very sweet topping to a great running year.
So, when thinking about "why do a half marathon?" - it is hard not to respond with "Why not?!?"
Life (and knees) are too short to skip one of life's best experiences for any reason. I challenge you to do a half marathon this year. Join us as we enjoy the adventure of adapting to the distance and finding out what we are capable of doing. Don't you want to know what you can do?
Sure, it's called a half marathon but it is still a full challenge. Big enough to wear you out, but short enough you will still have energy to celebrate after you cross the finish line. And if you train with friends, we will help you get across that line.
Join us today!