How to Run a Half-Marathon

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me it takes you to exhale (start with five seconds and see if you can prolong). When you master your breathing, you will never be out of breath.</li><li>Good footwear and comfortable clothing. Wearing breathable clothing and supportive footwear makes running easier and less constrictive. The last thing you need is feeling self-conscious for the the outfit you chose or injuring your foot because you were not wearing the proper running shoes.</li><li>Stretch before and after you run. Endurance is important in long distance runs so stretching before will warm up the muscles and joints and minimize chances of injury. Stretching afterwards will increase your flexibility and allow you to have a wider range of motion for your future runs.</li><li>Practicing different types of runs. Long distance runs are great but shorter runs, speed runs, slower jogs, help you become more versatile and adapt to unpredictable terrain/weather. You won’t always run at the same speed so being at ease with different runs only expands your running vocabulary.</li><li>Curate your own playlist prior to the run. Certainly, you can run with the sounds of nature, but a good playlist makes me forget the time, especially mid-run. In fact, to minimize the distraction of changing songs, I usually put one song on loop for the whole run (if you are the same type of weird, let’s meet up for patio drinks)</li><li>Change the running route. Everything becomes boring eventually. No matter how passionate, fresh, or beloved an activity is. Repetition and routine will mean loss of novelty. I discovered a marsh in my neighbourhood from just trying a new route and it has now become my favourite place to run in the evenings, especially when the sun sets.</li><li>Be patient. I started training in April with the intention to run the half marathon in October. I knew that running would be a challenge and so planning ahead reduce

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d the stress of meeting my endgoal. Wishing you could run more does not help, so plan ahead of time and trust the process. If you put in the hours, you will see the results.</li><li>Always push for a little more. The classic mind over matter trick could not be more true, especially if you’re on the verge of giving up. You don’t know what you’re really capable of until you push your limits and discover that your thinking was actually the limit.</li><li>Be consistent. This is the golden rule for anything! Relationships, learning, running, the list goes on. I run every other day, mostly after work to avoid the heat. Healthy habits regularly means a healthy lifestyle for life.</li><li>Try the Guided Runs on the Nike Run App. Guided runs are led by a Nike coach (my favourite is Coach Bennett) and throughout the run your coach will provide running advice and motivational sound bytes to keep you going. It’s like meditation on the go.</li><li>Don’t be so hard on yourself. We are always our own biggest critics. There are days where I have phenomenal runs and also days where I am disappointed about barely making 5 km. The victory is not in the numbers but rather the decision to go on the run. Not every run has to be record-setting. If you just strive to do your best, then be proud of that and do better on the next run.</li></ul><h1 id="48d1">What’s Next?</h1>Due to COVID, the in-person half-marathon race I initially signed up for is cancelled, however I still registered for the virtual run in October with my brother to make it “official”. In other words, I want the shiny medal that says “You survived!”.In terms of my future with running, I would like to announce my 2021 goal of running a marathon. Just saying 42 km makes my legs wobble but I am confident that if I set my mind to it, the next finish line is not far away.Bring it on!</article></body>

If you hate running but want to run a marathon, this is for you

I have never considered myself an athlete, much less a potential half marathon-er. Yet, just last week I reached my goal (22 km) two months before the planned race date in October. As I dragged my aching perspired body back home, I could not help but feel proud of the work I put in this year. If you ask me if I am passionate about running, the answer is still no, but the difference now is I know I can run a half marathon, and that is powerful. For me running is like a positive self-affirmation that all things are possible, plus it doesn’t hurt to beat your brother at something.

To date, I have run 409 km according to my Nike Run Club app. Crazy right? The question I am always asked is, “How do you do it?”. As a newly minted half-marathoner, here are some things I learned in the last four months about running

Start small, dream big. Instead of aiming for large distances, strive for the small wins first. I could barely run 2 km in the beginning so I focused on what I could do for a couple weeks until I felt like I could push for 3, then 4, then 5, and so on. Always have the end goal in mind and remember that small wins are still wins.

Learn to Breathe. Sounds pretty basic, but not regulating your breath means cramps, clipped breathing and ultimately a less than satisfactory run. Use the “Breathe in through the nose, out through the mouth” technique while running and inhale for the same amount of time it takes you to exhale (start with five seconds and see if you can prolong). When you master your breathing, you will never be out of breath.

Good footwear and comfortable clothing. Wearing breathable clothing and supportive footwear makes running easier and less constrictive. The last thing you need is feeling self-conscious for the the outfit you chose or injuring your foot because you were not wearing the proper running shoes.

Stretch before and after you run. Endurance is important in long distance runs so stretching before will warm up the muscles and joints and minimize chances of injury. Stretching afterwards will increase your flexibility and allow you to have a wider range of motion for your future runs.

Practicing different types of runs. Long distance runs are great but shorter runs, speed runs, slower jogs, help you become more versatile and adapt to unpredictable terrain/weather. You won’t always run at the same speed so being at ease with different runs only expands your running vocabulary.

Curate your own playlist prior to the run. Certainly, you can run with the sounds of nature, but a good playlist makes me forget the time, especially mid-run. In fact, to minimize the distraction of changing songs, I usually put one song on loop for the whole run (if you are the same type of weird, let’s meet up for patio drinks)

Change the running route. Everything becomes boring eventually. No matter how passionate, fresh, or beloved an activity is. Repetition and routine will mean loss of novelty. I discovered a marsh in my neighbourhood from just trying a new route and it has now become my favourite place to run in the evenings, especially when the sun sets.

Be patient. I started training in April with the intention to run the half marathon in October. I knew that running would be a challenge and so planning ahead reduced the stress of meeting my endgoal. Wishing you could run more does not help, so plan ahead of time and trust the process. If you put in the hours, you will see the results.

Always push for a little more. The classic mind over matter trick could not be more true, especially if you’re on the verge of giving up. You don’t know what you’re really capable of until you push your limits and discover that your thinking was actually the limit.

Be consistent. This is the golden rule for anything! Relationships, learning, running, the list goes on. I run every other day, mostly after work to avoid the heat. Healthy habits regularly means a healthy lifestyle for life.

Try the Guided Runs on the Nike Run App. Guided runs are led by a Nike coach (my favourite is Coach Bennett) and throughout the run your coach will provide running advice and motivational sound bytes to keep you going. It’s like meditation on the go.

Don’t be so hard on yourself. We are always our own biggest critics. There are days where I have phenomenal runs and also days where I am disappointed about barely making 5 km. The victory is not in the numbers but rather the decision to go on the run. Not every run has to be record-setting. If you just strive to do your best, then be proud of that and do better on the next run.

What’s Next?

Due to COVID, the in-person half-marathon race I initially signed up for is cancelled, however I still registered for the virtual run in October with my brother to make it “official”. In other words, I want the shiny medal that says “You survived!”.

In terms of my future with running, I would like to announce my 2021 goal of running a marathon. Just saying 42 km makes my legs wobble but I am confident that if I set my mind to it, the next finish line is not far away.

Bring it on!