THE PROS AND CONS OF RUNNING A HALF MARATHON

 Last weekend, I was able to cross another item off my bucket list. Can you guess which one? You can probably figure this out from the title that I did a half-marathon! We went down to Ocean City, New Jersey the night before and stayed at my parents' friend's beach house. Thanks again, Anna and Doug! Check out some of the ups and downs of this 13.1 mile feat below.

Pros

Cons

You get a lot of exercise from training. Yay! Health! You get to eat anything you want after your training run. You get to take an awesome car trip down to Ocean City, New Jersey! You get to enjoy the comforts of an amazingly cozy beach house for the night. You are within walking distance to the starting point of the race. One word- PEOPLE. So many new faces! Kind people and new friends (I met Katie & Maggie who happen to be from our neighborhood, who would have thought?). When you are light, the wind gives you a great boost, pushing you forward easily. You get a strong feeling of accomplishment when you finished. Also, your parents are super proud of you... Afterwards, you get to relax and do nothing the next day. Bragging rights and an awesome medal!

You have to wake up early almost every morning to train in the HOT SUMMER HEAT while other kids get to sleep in. Uggh. Health. Not eating the right thing before a training run may lead to diarrhea, cramps, queasiness, and nausea. You get to take a leg-numbing car trip down to Ocean City, New Jersey. You have to wake up early next morning to get ready for your race. That means that your mom will make you walk to the start of the race early in the morning. One word- PEOPLE. Soooo mannnyyyy peeeoooppppllleee!!!! It’s super duper, ooper, schmuper crowded! When you are light, the wind gives you a great boost, pushing you backwards easily. Even though your parents are super proud of you, they are still not proud enough to let you spend all of your money on souvenirs. Well, that's only true if you don’t have a cross-country practice the very next day. Bragging is rude, and people look at you like you are crazy if you wear a heavy medal around everywhere.

   I ended up finishing first in the 14 and under age group (I'm 12) with a time of 1 hour and 55 minutes! 
Thanks again for all your support, Mommy and Daddy! I love you. :)

 

A crowded start. Can you find me?

On the boardwalk, Mile 7.

 

 Mommy cheering me on.

Mommy cheering me on. 

Photo finish!

Oooh! Pretty medal! Also, a cool certificate and an awesome pair of cushiony running socks which happen to match my sneakers!

Doggy! Why 'd you take a selfie in my medal!?!