Story time!

Today’s post is about how I ran my first marathon as a non-runner. Well, I guess I became a runner to do this, but before 2023, I probably had only gone on five runs in my adolescent life. I grew up dancing so running wasn’t the ideal form of cross training. I was always too sore to dance if I tried to run! When I started college, I slowly transitioned away from dancing and pursued other types of fitness and activities – lifting, yoga, snowboarding, hiking, cardio machines – but never running. I would always see runners and think about how cool it would be to run a race, but I had already written off my running capabilities. Until one day…

…in February of 2023, I tried to go to the gym, but it was closed for President’s Day. I decided to go run a few laps at a park. I planned just to do three laps without worrying about the time or distance. Afterwards, I checked my phone and realized I’d done about four miles in 45 minutes. I was stoked! I actually went on a decent run and I felt GREAT! That got me thinking… my local marathon and half marathon was a couple months away, what if I signed up for the half. The seed was planted and I suddenly wanted to become a runner (you will learn that I tend to jump into things like this pretty quickly). I knew I probably shouldn’t rush into running a half marathon, so I decided to be rational. That weekend, I would try to run six miles. If I could get through them pretty easily, I would sign up for the half marathon, if not, I wouldn’t. That Saturday, I went back to the park. I didn’t check my stats mid run and ended up breezing through seven miles! Time to start training for the half, baby!

I made my own training schedule where I ran about three times per week. I would complete one long run each week, ramping up mileage over the course of the training plan. I would do one run where I would push for time or include some speed intervals, and I would do one easy, shorter run. I’m not going to lie, there were times when I did not want to run. But that’s when I had to be disciplined and just do it. I would tell myself that it would be worth it come race day and I would be proud of accomplishing the workout. Other incentives included calling friends and family on my runs or promising myself a yummy treat after! Overall, I enjoyed the time running gave me to clear my head or catch up with people.

Come race day, I was amped. My mom flew out to support me (she’s just the best!) and I felt ready. It was a chilly day and the race began on with some elevation gain. I had thought the race course was primarily downhill (and it was) but I was a bit unprepared for the first few miles climbing up into a neighborhood. Fortunately, my fitness and adrenaline helped me coach myself through the beginning. Before long, I was crossing the finish line!

I was so proud of myself! I felt athletic and bad ass, but I knew I’d only just scratched the surface of my running journey. I knew I wanted to run a full marathon someday – I mean, if you can do a half, you can do a full. Right? I knew I needed a few months off to recover though…

… Come fall of 2023, I was ready. I was all in. I decided to commit to the Dallas Marathon in December. That would put me on a somewhat aggressive training plan over the course of three months to get into shape. This training journey was a grind compared to my half marathon training. Getting to 13 miles was pretty easy, but once you get to 15+ miles, running gets really exhausting. Not to mention, the time commitment is much bigger because my long runs would take over three hours. That’s a big chunk of time to alot to a run where I needed to be prepped and fresh that morning. That meant limited plans the evening before. However, I knew I could get through this training block. I knew I could push myself and reminded myself to enjoy the process. 

When December came, I was even more excited than I was for my half marathon. I was dancing my way to the start line! The weather was perfect and I was coming from a high elevation to a much lower elevation. I was ready to unleash the beast, and I did just that. I was speedy and felt good the whole way. The final five miles are always the toughest in a marathon, but I didn’t cramp (or bonk, as many runners call it). Those miles definitely sucked, but I was able to keep going and finish strong. I am now super proud to say I am in the 1% of the U.S. population that has run a marathon!

Running a marathon was one of my biggest physical accomplishments because I had never thought I would be able to do it. I learned to never doubt myself and that I can do more than I think. I unlocked more of my work ethic and realized the importance of focusing on and enjoying the process versus the end result. I have realized a new side of me and I am excited to run more in the future. Stay tuned for the next marathon!