Half Marathon + Wavehouse = Epic Sunday

Yesterday was pretty gnarly. I did what I do most Sundays: work out and chill with friends. But I also did something I have never done before: run a half marathon!

As many of you know, I used to play volleyball in college. Now that my days as a Division I athlete are over, I wanted to give myself a new challenge. Although I have enjoyed running now for awhile, I had never ran very long distances. 5 miles was usually my max since we were told running long distances could decrease your vertical jump.

Around New Year's this year, I decided I wanted to push myself past running a couple of miles each day. The start of training in January wasn't too bad. We are lucky that here in San Diego, it is nice enough to run outside almost every day (okay, let's admit it... every day). I could have never logged the miles I did on a treadmill stuck inside a gym. But as I worked up to 8-mile and 10-mile runs on a regular basis, it took some determination.

In the days leading up to the race, I was getting anxious. I just wanted to get it over with! Finally Sunday I woke at 4:30 AM to do the damn thing! As I began running, I was relieved to find that I was well-prepared. Sticking to my training schedule had paid off. The race wasn't bad with the exception of a KILLER hill near the end. It was a bitch to get up - I could barely keep running. But after that, the last few miles were flat and I completed the half marathon in just a few minutes over 2 hours.

The greatest part of the half marathon by far was how I felt afterwards. I love working towards a goal and achieving it. I hadn't set a fitness goal for myself in awhile, and it was about time. Already I have had several friends ask when I'm going to run my first full marathon! I have never considered running a full, but I never say never...

In true Healthiest Chick in the Bar fashion, I partied after my race. I know what you may be thinking... drinking after pushing your body physically isn't the best idea! I was tired after the race, and knew that drinking alcohol wasn't the proper way to recover. But at the same time, I had cut down on my partying the past few months a lot (with the exception of a few extremely summer-like days we have had here in SD lately... I can never resist day drinking at the beach on a beautiful day). I had stayed pretty focused on my training. It's a lot easier to run 8 miles on a Sunday morning if you aren't hung over, let me tell you! So having fun with my friends yesterday evening was a reward to myself for all my hard work.

I always have fun on Sundays at Wavehouse, and this Sunday was no different. The venue is awesome; I always feel like I'm on spring break whenever I go there! I look forward to more crazy Sundays there this summer.

View from the beachfront house where we pregamed

Sometimes I find myself a little "down" on Mondays coming off the "high" of a fun weekend. Today, I feel renewed. I have a new energy after feeling how amazing it was to push my body to the limits. I have also been meeting a lot of amazing people lately who I feel are going to be in my life for awhile.

When was the last time you set a fitness goal for yourself? Maybe it's time to set your mind to something.