In honor of running my 9th half marathon tomorrow, I will give my top 9 reasons for why I love this distance!!
1. It is long enough where you need to do long runs on the weekend, but too long where you have to spend hours running. My longest run is usually 13.1 miles, and then I have a bunch of 10 and 12 milers.
2. You get medals when you run half marathons! Usually, 10ks and 5ks don't give out medals, but I have never ran a half marathon that I didn't get a medal in!
3. It is long enough where you still need to carb load! 10ks and 5ks are, in my opinion too short to carb load for, but you need those extra carbs for the 13.1 miles!
4. It is still an amazing accomplishment and challenge! Running any distance is an accomplishment, but I just love the feeling of finish a half marathon. It is an unbelievable feeling that I don't feel when running shorter races!
5. The t-shirts. For most races, you probably get a t-shirt. But half marathon t-shirts/long sleeves are the BOMB.com! They are usually really nice dri-fit materials made from a reputable company!
6. The after party always have awesome food. A lot of races also have music, beer, and other exciting events following the race :)
7. It is worth traveling for. I go to Florida to run a half marathon. I wouldn't go to florida to run a 10k or 5k, but the half is long enough where I feel it is ok to travel!
8. I don't know if it's just me, but the people are so nice! I think the longer distance brings people closer because of the pain, excitement, suffering, and happiness. I don't feel like people are as friendly during shorter races!
9. Finally, the training may suck sometimes, and you may feel down or bad about yourself, but the minute you cross the finish line of a half marathon, it is all TOTALLY worth it!
1. It is long enough where you need to do long runs on the weekend, but too long where you have to spend hours running. My longest run is usually 13.1 miles, and then I have a bunch of 10 and 12 milers.
2. You get medals when you run half marathons! Usually, 10ks and 5ks don't give out medals, but I have never ran a half marathon that I didn't get a medal in!
3. It is long enough where you still need to carb load! 10ks and 5ks are, in my opinion too short to carb load for, but you need those extra carbs for the 13.1 miles!
4. It is still an amazing accomplishment and challenge! Running any distance is an accomplishment, but I just love the feeling of finish a half marathon. It is an unbelievable feeling that I don't feel when running shorter races!
5. The t-shirts. For most races, you probably get a t-shirt. But half marathon t-shirts/long sleeves are the BOMB.com! They are usually really nice dri-fit materials made from a reputable company!
6. The after party always have awesome food. A lot of races also have music, beer, and other exciting events following the race :)
7. It is worth traveling for. I go to Florida to run a half marathon. I wouldn't go to florida to run a 10k or 5k, but the half is long enough where I feel it is ok to travel!
8. I don't know if it's just me, but the people are so nice! I think the longer distance brings people closer because of the pain, excitement, suffering, and happiness. I don't feel like people are as friendly during shorter races!
9. Finally, the training may suck sometimes, and you may feel down or bad about yourself, but the minute you cross the finish line of a half marathon, it is all TOTALLY worth it!
Happy running! I hope i persuaded you to sign up for a half marathon :)