Friday Five – Reasons to Run a Half Marathon

October 24, 2014

Happy Friday!! I am looking forward to this weekend – wedding and birthday celebrations galore! Today I am linking up with Mar, Courtney, and Cynthia and the theme is “Five Reasons to Run a ________.” Now did you think I was going to say Marathon?

One of my favorite distances is the half marathon – 17 races and counting! Here are Five Reasons to Run a Half Marathon:

1. They are Plentiful!

As of April 2014 there were an estimated 2,100 half marathons in the United States (Running USA, 2014) and many many more worldwide. A recent article by the Wall Street Journal said the half marathon grew by 307% in the last 10 years – amazing! My other favorite distance is the ten miler, but there is not much supply. Looking for a half – check out the below sites:

Half Marathons Net (both USA and World races)
Running in the USA (name explains itself)

2. They are Challenging!

Conquered the 5K, 10K and/or 10M? Looking for the next challenge? The half marathon would be a logical next step. Training is not as time consuming as the marathon as most plans call for an 11 mile long run. Here are some popular training plans:

3. They burn Calories

Depending on your overall fitness a 5K can burn between 200-300 calories. By contrast, a half marathon can burn over 1,000 calories! Which means I can have a guilt free meal of _________ (insert all yummy things here).

4. They make a great Racecation

It is not secret I like to combine my vacations with running (or is it combining running with a vacation haha). It is a great excuse to travel, visit friends and get a workout in. Here is a pic from my Napa/Sonoma Racecation (Part 1, Part 2, Part 3).

5. They have the Bling Bling

While some of the short distances are starting to include medals, historically half marathons (not all of them but most of them) give out race medals. Here is my Pinterest Board if you want to see some of my medals this year.