Hello friends! On July 17th, I had the pleasure (and pain) of running a half marathon in Ventura, California. In my last post, I wrote briefly about how exercise became part of my personal regimen of self care. Today, I want to share about why I ran a half marathon, some tidbits from training, and how the race went!
Why a Half Marathon?
Truth be told, there were many reasons! But I’ll boil it down to three:
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I wanted to feel like an athlete again.
During Spring Break, Nathan and I hiked in Bryce Canyon and Zion National Parks in Utah. There, we hiked the longest one-day trails I had ever traveled through canyons, red rocks, and The Narrows. It was a magical trip, and in coming back, I realized how much I missed challenging myself physically.
In high school, I was a three-sport athlete, but since graduating, I have always struggled to maintain an exercise routine. After our Utah trip, I realized I had a history of athleticism, but these days, I could hardly call myself “an athlete.”
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I was inspired by my med school lectures!
Throughout our second semester, we studied the cardiovascular, respiratory, and gastrointestinal systems (some of my favorite systems of the year!). During these blocks, we had lectures about exercise physiology and the benefits of exercise, Medical Nutrition Therapy, and the gut microbiome.
These lectures made me think about how I was taking care of my body. What was I putting into my body for nutrition? How was I challenging it to build strength? I didn’t have great answers for these questions, and I felt inspired to do something about it. -
I needed a desirable goal and training schedule to keep me accountable.
As I mentioned before, I’ve struggled to stick to an exercise routine during young adulthood. Despite this, I knew I could run about 3 miles at baseline. Training for a 10K race (6.2 miles) didn’t feel like enough of a challenge. Training for a half marathon (13.1 miles) felt more formidable. It felt like a challenge which was achievable but not without intention. I also knew I’d have plenty of time for my progressively longer runs during the summer.
I wanted to conquer this goal, and moreover, I wanted to do it better than I had 10 years ago when I ran my first half marathon. In 2012, I trained up to 9 miles but lost all steam at mile 10 on race day. The accountability of a race date, training schedule, and determination to do it “the right way” this time kept me committed.
How Was Training?
Training definitely had its ups and downs! My first 6 weeks of training overlapped with my last weeks of the year for medical school. The final 6 training weeks were during my summer break.
Time Management
The toughest part of training was carving out the time and developing the diligence to run. My biggest motivator most days was to run before it got too hot. Getting out early (7am if I could hack it), meant not dying of SoCal heat in the afternoon. There were many days where I was dragging my feet, taking my time before getting out the door. However, the training schedule became more manageable once I finished school, because my longest running days happened during the summer when I didn’t have to compete with study time.
Knee Pain
I trained for 12 weeks and, unfortunately, I struggled with knee pain almost from start to finish of my training. Coming off our our Utah trip, I had developed some knee pain after our long hiking days. Though the pain receded early on with strengthening exercises, it recurred around Week 7 when my weekly long runs started pushing 9+ miles.
In hindsight, I should have done more knee strengthening/stretching exercises throughout training. Instead of doing this, I tended to take an extra rest day once per week in place of a short run whenever I felt like my body needed more time for recovery. I also incorporated more regular stretching and icing.
Hitting the (Bike) Trail
I ran on a bike trail which was about a half mile from our front door. It was a perfect place to run each day because I didn’t have to worry about marking out a new trail every time I changed my distance goal. No mental work required! With my Fitbit buzzing at the halfway point of my runs, route-making was also way less stressful than it was 10 years ago. My long runs became a special treat because each Sunday, I got to see what lay a half mile further down the trail!
Personal Benefits of Running
Especially in the earlier weeks, I was so excited about all the health benefits of running! I read articles online to keep me motivated and loved knowing my heart, bones, and muscles were all growing stronger with each run. Burning a little excess fat was an added bonus too!
However, the greatest benefits for me were stress relief and better sleep. Before running regularly, I struggled to fall asleep each night and my thoughts often kept me awake. After running, my body and mind were both sufficiently tired and I struggled less with insomnia. Yet another example of how body, mind, and spirit are all connected!
Race Day Memories
Race day was Sunday, July 17th with a 7:15am start time. The race was next to the ocean, mostly on Highway 1 in Ventura. It was gloomy with fog next to the shoreline, and the ocean was a drab grayish green. While I was disappointed the ocean wasn’t very pretty, the weather was absolutely perfect for running. Cool but not cold and not a spot of sun in sight.
I always get jitters on race day, but I had three objectives for the race: start slow, stretch at the 1 mile mark, then run the entire rest of the race. Based on my previous 12 mile run (where I ran very very slowly), I estimated I would finish my race at about 2 hours and 45 minutes. To my surprise, I finished the race at 2 hours and 16 minutes with a 10:25 minute average per mile.
After the first couple miles of the race, I made a goal that I would catch up to the person in front of me. The race became a game and made it go by more quickly. Knee pain was present but dull. I think the adrenaline of the race kept my mind distracted, and I kept passing people one by one. In my 13th and final mile, I pushed hard and finished with a 9:23 mile time.
Aside from my routine stretch break at mile 1, I ran the entire race straight, and I had the biggest, goofiest smile on my face as I sprinted across the finish line. It was a moment of pure elation. In that final stretch, I felt the joy of accomplishing my goals, the joy of running, and the joy of knowing I had run my race well.
Next Goals and Takeaways
A couple people have asked me, what’s next? Are you going to run a marathon?
To be honest, I don’t have much desire to run a full marathon, and the time commitment required to train is more than I’m comfortable with in med school. Never say never, but for me, it’s pretty unlikely and I’m ok with that.
My next goal is modest yet possibly the most challenging yet: Exercise for at least 30 minutes at least every other day. I’ve also signed up for a 10K race in October (it was free/sponsored by my med school, woohoo!).
Training for a half marathon during med school showed me that squeezing in a workout and getting over my mental barriers to exercise is possible. Putting on workout gear, carving out time, and taking a shower after working out are all very doable with our relatively flexible med school schedule. Now that I have a simple go-to routine and trail for running, it feels less daunting to get out. And later, I can’t wait for the weather to cool off so I can enjoy some afternoon runs too.
10 Years Ago vs. Today
I’ve had a love-hate relationship with the sport since running for my high school track team. But this race was truly one for myself. No clocks to race against, no pressure from teammates or peers, no obligation to run. It was just… for me.
In the past few months, I rediscovered my love of a good workout and the feeling of being fit and healthy. I was more thoughtful about how I fueled my body, and I was thankful for quicker sleep and time alone on the trail. It was also a huge self-esteem boost knowing that at 29 years old, I ran better and more consistently than I did at 19.
In the past 10 years, my level of discipline has dramatically increased, and seeing a glimpse of this growth while training has meant a lot to me. It’s a beautiful thing to know our current point in life is not our endpoint. 10 years ago, I had just dropped pre-med as an undergrad student and was stepping out into a world of possibilities. I never could have predicted that a decade later, I’d be where I am now. And I’m thankful, so thankful!