13 Reasons to Run a Half Marathon

If you are thinking about getting involved in marathon running, but need some extra motivation to keep going, here are 13 reasons why you should push through and never give up!

1. You’ll feel accomplished after.
Nothing beats the feeling of accomplishment when you see the finish line in the                  distance, crossing over the line to get your metal, and having a shirt to wear and show     off.

2.  You get a medal.
Who wouldn’t want a metal to show you have completed a half marathon? It’s like the beginning of a collection.

3. You get a free shirt.
You can’t go wrong with a free shirt. It’s just another way to brag and show you’re tough stuff.

4. You get food after the race.
Do I have to explain this one? Food doesn’t just feed your stomach, but it also feeds your soul. You also need to replenish the calories you burned running the half, so you definitely deserve it.

5. You’ll be forced to stay in shape.
Signing up and running a half is one way to follow a schedule to do well for the half and be prepared. This schedule will also help you be fit and keep working towards your goal.

6. You get to treat yourself with running clothes.
You’re gonna need new shoes to make up for all the miles you’re going to run. Treat yourself and get some clothes while you’re at it!

7.  You become self-conscious of what you eat, i.e., become healthier.
While training for the half, you’ll have days where you think about how food will affect you for your run tomorrow, so you choose the better food option. Running a half is a great way to get you to be food-conscious.

8. You get the excuse to boast.
Obviously you have bragging rights. You ran 13.1 miles! That’s a lot for a person to accomplish, so get to bragging.

9. You’ll burn a lot of calories and look good doing it.
If you need some goal to help you burn calories, running a half will definitely help with that. Running burns so many calories, that you need to eat and drink water during long runs. Use this goal as a starter!

10. You’ll find more trails to run for future reference.
You’re going to need to find trails long enough for your runs when training for the half marathon. With that in mind, you will have more trails than you had before, and you can always go back and run them after the half! Maybe then you’ll be encouraged to run another one.

11. You’ll feel more structure in your life arranging when to run around your day.
Following a running schedule really makes you more structured in your life. The running schedule helps you determine when to eat, when to find time to finish work, and when you can meet for social events. In turn, this will help you get more work done so you can get to running and have your work done by then.

12. You’ll find running friends.
With these new trails you find, I’m sure you’ll find new running friends. Maybe you’ll find someone who is running the same half as you! That way, you can run the half together every year like a tradition!

13. You can find new places to travel to for races.
Have you ever wanted to visit a state but couldn’t come up with an excuse to go? Well, half marathons are there for you! There are half marathons pretty much everywhere you look, so find a state and city and you’ll be on your way!  Here is a list of upcoming half marathons to check out!