5 Things I Learned From Running a Half Marathon

First thing first, let’s address the elephant in the room.

Truth be told, being consistent on WordPress is indeed very hard to do hahaha, especially in the midst of full-time work and school. But in the last few months of being mia, I did something I never thought I would despite it being on my bucket list. Something I am now very proud of accomplishing.

Yes you’ve guessed it (or read it from the title of this post), I ran a half marathon.

I am not a runner y’all. In fact, I hated running. But being in a global pandemic, it can make your mind go all sorts of ways. It can make you do some weird things. Reflecting on this experience, I realize I took away more than just the bragging right of “I RAN 21KM WOOO”, I ended up picking up a few things.

Here are the 5 things I’ve learned from running a (virtual*) half marathon.

*It was a virtual marathon -> there wasn’t an in-person event to gather all the runners at one place due to covid, so you run your own route. Feel free to leave a comment below if you want to know more about how it worked.

1. You can do anything you put your mind to

I don’t want to sound cliché, but it’s true. If you are determined enough, excited enough, and prepared enough, you can even start winning chess tournaments if you want to (obviously been watching too much Queen’s Gambit).

I never thought to do this because of my non-existent stamina, and a bad experience of running a 10km race with my boyfriend three years ago. It was brutal. We did finish the race that time and we were proud. But we also said “let’s not do this again 😂”.

Who knew a lockdown would happen and sparked some weird urge in me to do a 21km? I set a time target and built a training plan around it. I fell off the plan several times, but all good. I just made sure I pick back up where I left off and encouraged myself to continue. I’ve committed to making the goal happen so I did my best to make sure it does. I didn’t want to disappoint myself.

For once I didn’t allow any doubts in my head. I “knew” I’d be able to do it. And I did it.

2. You realize who your real supporters are

You may be disappointed or may be surprised. I was.

There were people I thought would be fired up for me but didn’t end up caring. There were also people I didn’t expect would care at all, but ended up going out of their way to show support. Some were even more excited than I was (though I was more anxious than excited).

It is nice to know which relationships are worth nurturing, and which ones need to take more of a backseat. Your time and efforts are precious, so you need to allocate them carefully to the right people.

3. Challenging yourself is very empowering, and rejuvenating

I literally felt like a new marvel hero when I finished the race.

I felt like I can tackle the world. Give me a goal and I will achieve it no doubt. This strong sense of empowerment lingers with you for a while. It will motivate you to do more, and boost your confidence. You might even get addicted to getting out of your comfort zone, which will grow you as a person.

I started brainstorming ideas for my “challenge bucket list” after the race (running a full marathon is one of them!), and I can’t wait to check them off one by one…or two by two with an energy drink.

4. Being part of a community is so important

I can still do my run without a community, but being a part of one made this experience easier and more positive.

If you are the only one doing what you are trying to accomplish, it can feel lonely. It can also be demotivating. Having a community lets u share experiences with people that understand what you are going through, because they are doing the same thing. As much as family and friends can be awesome cheerleaders through your journey, it’s different when you have people you can relate to.

There are so many moments where I felt lazy and didn’t want to train (if you’ve been reading my blog, you know I’m a lazy gal), but seeing other people who are pushing through despite struggles, is very encouraging. It will inspire you to do better.

5. Nike is very wise

Yes. Nike is spitting truth into my life.

“Just Do It” is more than a slogan. It is a nugget of wisdom. This is now a motto I try to live by, especially when there are decisions to make. Should I eat cup noodles before bed? Should I take an hour-long bath with lavender essential oil? Just do it.

But all jokes aside (…but were they really a joke though), there are several things in life I’m very glad I did, and it was all because at some point during the decision-making process I said, “ima just do it”. This half marathon was one of them.

So thank you Nike, for your wisdom and your Air Max.

To wrap up…

This challenge was one for the books. It will be a great memory for my future old self to look back on. And I’m glad beyond all the new things I’ve learned about marathon running, I also learned a few life things along the way.

Have you done something out of your comfort zone lately? Any challenges (small or big) you’ve accomplished in the past? Tell us in the comment below, I’d love to hear them!!

I also need ideas to add to my “challenge bucket list”. So if you have any suggestions, please share them with me in the comments below!

Photo by Eugene Chystiakov on Unsplash

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