This article was run last week in The Connection, the Twin Cities in Motion newsletter. You can sign up for the Get in Gear Half Marathon, now a TCIM event, which is coming up in 12 weeks, HERE.
The half marathon has grown dramatically in popularity in recent years, having long outstripped the marathon in participation numbers across the United States. In fact, it is the second most popular race distance behind the 5K, according to Running USA’s 2020 Summary. There are many great reasons for that popularity, and in preparation for the upcoming Get in Gear Half Marathon, we wanted to highlight 13.1 of them.
1. CHALLENGE
The first reason to run 13.1 is for the challenge of it. Runners of all stripes love a challenge, and the half marathon most certainly is that. It will require preparation, effort, and commitment, and will leave you with a sense of accomplishment at the end.
2. ATTAINABILITY
The half marathon distance is within your grasp. If you can run, even if it’s a walk/jog combo, and you are determined, you can cover 13.1 miles. We often say anyone can run the marathon, but then follow that up with a lot of “ifs.” With the half marathon, there are just a whole lot less of those contingencies, and a lot less that tends to go wrong en route.
3. COMMITMENT
The one element that is required for a successful half marathon run is commitment. Though the training required is substantially less than a marathon, it does still require a regular, methodical pattern of training in order to prepare you for the day. As such, it’s a great way to motivate yourself to sustain a consistent training routine, albeit one with a bit more wiggle room for those with a busy schedule.
4. INSPIRATION
Telling your non-running friends and family that you are training for a half marathon often invites a degree of disbelief and awe. When you insist, “it’s only a half,” they will be sure to remind you that it’s an extraordinary feat. Completing a half marathon and sharing your story with others often inspires them to reach for new heights in their own lives, whether that means running a half marathon themselves or doing something else new and challenging.
5. REPEATABILITY
This distance can be repeated much more frequently than the marathon, which often requires some down time to recover, and perhaps a longer period of time before the desire to complete another returns. More frequent participation means you have more opportunity to learn the event, gain a sense of your own strengths and weaknesses, and to have a variety of experiences – different courses, sizes of races, locations, weather conditions, goals for your race, etc.
6. FRIENDSHIPS
As one of the more popular race distances, you will likely be able to find a friend or training group (which can turn into a friend group) training for the half marathon. The training runs are a great time to spend time with others, getting to know new friends or deepening existing bonds. Even if you decide to run it alone, most people run the half marathon at a pace that allows you to carry on a conversation, and you may learn someone’s life story out there on the course.
7. GENDER BALANCE
Half marathon participation numbers skew toward a female majority, which is a pretty cool fact given that not too far back in history, women’s participation in distance running was minimal.
8. MARATHON PREPARATION
If you have an inkling that you may want to complete a full marathon, either later in the year or further down the road, the half marathon is great preparation for that future goal. It gives you practice on the training, fueling, and all of the challenges that you can expect from the marathon, just with a little more room for error or experimentation. From logistics to mental strategies, the half marathon is a great practice run for the full.
9. BUILDING A GREAT BASE
Training for a half marathon prepares you well to move into any other running event. Whether you are looking to go longer, or aiming for something shorter like a 5K or even a mile, the aerobic fitness that you build training for the half marathon sets you up well to train for another event.
10. RECOVERY
The recovery period from a half marathon is much shorter than that of a full, yet enough to warrant taking it easy for a bit. While I wouldn’t recommend running a half marathon every weekend of the year, if you go in well-prepared, you will likely feel fairly recovered within a few days, and thus the half doesn’t disrupt your routine as much as a full marathon may.
11. SUPPORT
I’m not sure what it is about this sport, but people love to cheer runners on. The half marathon brings out enough fans to provide consistent support and fans around the course, without the runners getting so spread out that the crowds get spread thin.
12. HEALTH
The demands of the half marathon line up pretty well with the factors associated with long-term health and well-being. Developing great cardiovascular fitness is associated with both success in the event, and improved health and longevity.
13. FOR YOURSELF
Life is busy, and we don’t often dedicate time to doing something special for ourselves. Work, family and other commitments don’t need to fall by the wayside to train for a half, but you do need to carve out just enough time to help provide yourself some balance and perspective in life. Training for a half is thus a great gift to yourself that can also enhance the other aspects of your life.
13.1. THE FINAL STRETCH
Lastly, the finish line is so sweet. The beauty of that last 1/10 of a mile is that you get to 13 miles and you know you are going to do it. You can see the finish line, and you have that final stretch to really bask in the moment, and soak in the cheers. These moments of total awareness in the present are special, and even more so when you are on the cusp of achieving something remarkable.
Chris Lundstrom is the head coach of Minnesota Distance Elite – formerly Team USA Minnesota – which includes some of the top distance runners in the USA, including Annie Frisbie, Dakotah Lindwurm and Joel Reichow.
