My First Half Marathon With The ‘Whole’ Experience

Where to begin.. I ran the Space Coast Half Marathon in Cocoa Beach, FL and I have to say the whole experience was a blast! I went with 5 of my closest friends, which made it so much better. The great part was no one had every run a half marathon before.

We drove over Saturday, the day before the race, to pick up our packets at the Kennedy Space Center Visitor Complex, which we got to run all around in and take pictures. So much fun and pretty cool. If you are ever in cocoa beach, stop by there. Make sure you have more than 2 hours though at the complex!

The drive! We were so excited to get our race packets!!

Then time for the hotel… 7 of us in ONE ROOM! haha not smart. We got barely any sleep that night.

Race time was 6:15 am. I do recommend staying at a sponsored hotel because we had a shuttle take us to and from the event, which was so convenient. The day would have been perfect if it would have been a bit warmer… 45 degrees outside was something I was definitely not used to.

A cold morning!

The race started and it was such a beautiful course. We got to see dolphins and the sunrise. Here’s what it looked like.

I was running great, and keeping up with my 1:50 pace group and eventually passing them. Then, at around mile 4, I got the urge to go to the bathroom. It was terrible. I couldn’t hold it much longer so at mile 6 I had to take a bathroom break. It’s the worst feeling seeing people you just passed way ahead of you. I ran as fast as my body would allow and caught back up to the 1:50 pace group… AGAIN! and then passed them! But at mile 8, it hit AGAIN, another bathroom urge. I was so mad, I couldn’t believe I was going to have to stop twice. So at mile 10 I took another break. And once again, I step out to see everyone ahead of me.

I don’t know how I ran that last 3.1 miles of the race as fast as I did. I just didn’t want my bathroom breaks to really ruin my time. I was feeling kind of sick from that last push of the race when I crossed the finish line. My time was 1:45:16. And for having to stop twice to go to the bathroom, I thought that was pretty dang good. I ran in my SKORA’s, which I have to say, are amazing! For a new company, they really know what they are doing. I experienced no pain anywhere during the race. Also, my friends all did so well too. It was a great experience.

I even managed to place 2nd in my age group!! It was amazing and got to meet Bart Yasso! That’s who is with me in the picture below. Check out his website, it’s great for runners!

And since we were in Cocoa Beach, we finished the day with surfing and body boarding at the beach! The experience was well worth it and I am definitely going to be running more half marathons!

Thanks for all the support from everyone!

Running Technique: Ground Contact Landing and Push Off

I know, I know, I keep writing about the same thing… Running Technique, but it’s important! And don’t worry, I will move onto a different topic soon. But I have to say that how your foot lands on the ground and how you push off is significant. Because this is where painful shin splints can come from. I have fortunately never really experienced shin splints but I have some friends who can’t leave their beds because of how bad it hurts. I don’t want that to be you!

I can’t even imagine not being able to go out and run and have fun! So go out there and keep running. Practice makes perfect. I’m about to go on a run in the rain now! No excuses! Time for me to get off the computer!

• Karhu Website: http://www.karhu.com
• If you want to test Karhu’s apply at: http://www.facebook.com/likekarhu
• Karhu online store 10% off code: 10off (Use it at karhu.com check-out  page)

Thank you for reading!

Running Technique: Knee and Quad Position

So I don’t know how serious you are about running but knee and quad positioning are extremely important. Many runners develop bad knees from bad technique. You don’t want that to be you in a couple of years! So this video should help you prevent short-term and long-term injuries that may result from bad running technique.

I suggest videotaping yourself running. Then you can play it back and relate to this video in order to double check that you are doing everything you need to be doing while running. I used to do that when I was beginning to play tennis. I would videotape my practice or a match and watch to see if my forehand technique was correct or if my footwork needed improvement. It’s not weird to record yourself. Just try it! It’s fun to watch yourself improve as well.

Also, don’t over think what you have to do. Just watch the technique and see if yours matches up. Don’t make it too complex as too where your running goes downhill because you are thinking way too much. You want to be relaxed and you also want to be enjoying running. Overall, as long as you avoid the things that cause injury, I think you will be good! And your running will be even better!

• Karhu Website: http://www.karhu.com
• If you want to test Karhu’s apply at: http://www.facebook.com/likekarhu
• Karhu online store 10% off code: 10off (Use it at karhu.com check-out  page)

Thank you for reading!

Running Technique: Pelvis and Upper Body Position

Running seems so simple but some of us unfortuantely struggle with it. It’s good to practice the correct form and technique while running to prevent injury and to make the experience more enjoyable. By watching this video (that is less then 3 minutes) you will learn how to effectively use your upper body and pelvis while running.

You want to practice having your upper body slightly tipped forward, which is something I learned. I never even thought about it! I think I keep myself too upright sometimes, so now I know, next time I go out running to work on this. Being too upright could hurt my back, so I definitely want to fix that. Also, by having your pelvis positioned correctly, it will help your body move forward more efficiently. Something that I think most runners want. Now it’s time to go out and run! Get off the computer, that won’t help your technique! haha

More videos on technique to come, so be looking for those!

• Karhu Website: http://www.karhu.com
• If you want to test Karhu’s apply at: http://www.facebook.com/likekarhu
• Karhu online store 10% off code: 10off (Use it at karhu.com check-out  page)

Thank you for reading!

I need new RUNNING shoes! HELP!

I’m on a mission to get new running shoes. And I need your HELP! I recently went to a store called Fit2Run and there were just a ton of shoes. I didn’t even know where to begin. I want a shoe that is comfortable, durable, light, and looks good on. I tried a lot on. I’m just not sure what is the best. Shoes are expensive… at least to me they are. I just don’t want to waste my money on something that isn’t going to last or hurts my feet. I only run at most 6 miles a day. And I run on the balls of my feet not heels. So if anyone knows of a shoe that would work good for that then please let me know. These were my two favorites in the store. If anyone runs with these shoes or has a similar shoe or if you just run and love the shoes you have, PLEASE let me know.

Mizuno Wave Elixir 7

New Balance 1400