My Half-Marathon Journey

A year ago, I ran my first-ever half-marathon.

Here’s how I went from not running at all to finishing a half in less than a year.

Over the summer, I started running with one of my friends. Our runs were usually around 2-3 miles, just to get some additional exercise in. After consistently running 3-4 times a week throughout the summer, we decided to sign up for a half-marathon – something neither of us had ever done before. Yet to have a training plan, we registered for the War Eagle Run Fest, the half-marathon here in Auburn. The race was in February, meaning we had about six months to prepare.

In the fall, we started to increase our distance, moving up to 5-6 miles. With a busier schedule than we had over the summer, it was harder to stay consistent. We committed to running 3 mornings a week, even though that sometimes meant waking up at 5:30 a.m. We alternated between shorter runs, longer runs, and interval runs. Heading into Christmas break, we were up to 6 miles, which was still under the halfway mark of the 13.1 we would have to run for the half.

Our initial goal was to hit 10 miles before race day. This would be close enough to prepare us for the real thing because what fun is it to run the full 13 before the actual race? As the race grew closer, we realized that was going to be hard to achieve with such busy schedules. We were able to reach 8 miles shortly after returning from Christmas break and were feeling well-prepared. While we never ended up running more than 8 miles, we continued to run consistently through the week before the race.

The night before the race, I started to get a little nervous. Was I going to be able to run 13 miles in the morning having never run more than 8? I went to sleep and trusted that our six months of training would pay off and the adrenaline of race day would be able to carry us through.

Finally, race day had come. It was time to run my first half-marathon. It was a freezing cold February morning, but the energy was high. The run began at 7 A.M. sharp, right outside of Jordan-Hare Stadium. With our running playlist cranked up, we were off! The route took us all across Auburn, first running through downtown, down Glenn, and then turning onto East University.

The first 6-7 miles of the race felt great. I felt like I could keep going forever. It’s true what they say, the adrenaline from race day really does help push you through. Just over halfway to the finish, though, we still had a ways to go.

Around mile 10, things started to get tough. We officially hit ten miles (which at this point is longer than we’d ever run) heading down Thach towards the pickleball courts at RO. After turning onto Hemlock, and then right onto Samford, there was a daunting hill up ahead of us. Already ten miles in, running up that steep of a hill (for what felt like forever) was not easy by any means! Thankfully, the route looped back around and we got to follow it up with some downhill running.

The last mile, though, was by far the toughest. At this point, my body was exhausted, and it was difficult even to pick up one foot and put it in front of the other. Part of me wanted to quit. But being this close to the finish, there was no way I was quitting now! Running through the Coliseum parking lot, the stadium was in sight. We were almost there! The coolest part about this race is that you get to finish on the 50 yard-line of the football field. After entering the stadium, we could see the finish line, and it was full speed ahead. Our goal was to finish the half in under 2 hours, and we ended up finishing in 1 hour and 48 minutes. It was such a cool experience to work so hard for a goal together and not only beat it but by a significant margin, too.

I highly recommend running a half-marathon, no matter what your background in running is. Everyone starts somewhere. The War Eagle Run Fest was especially fun getting to finish on the football field (and getting this super cool medal). The Seaside Half Marathon, also in February, is another great option, but there are lots of half-marathons, as well as 5Ks, 10Ks, and full marathons around the area that take place all year long, so you can find the one that suits you best.

Be Well, Auburn.