Fitness Friday: 5 Things to Know Before You Run a Half Marathon

Hey y'all!

I have been running half marathons since 2009. I am no expert. I am not an elite. I am not super fast. I am a finisher. All that matters is I cross the finish line in an upright position and get free stuff. I run to collect medals, t-shirts, and free samples at every expo. I have learned a few things over the years. For starters, anyone can do it! I was in 8th grade when I ran my first half marathon (see throwback below!). When I was in 9th grade I slipped in the lobby of my natatorium and broke 5 pieces of my spine. It took me a year to make it back on my feet. Then the real challenges began. The doctors said running would be the worst thing because of the pounding movement it put on my back. To this day I still struggle with the pain but, it is something I've learned to deal with. I know my limitations and I know when it is not a good day to run. Over the years I have had some realizations about being a (half) marathoner!

2009

2015

1. It doesn't happen overnight.

You can not sign up for a half marathon and just wait until the week before to do a couple of 3 milers and expect to complete your half with flying colors. If you have figured out how to make that work - let me in on your secrets! For the rest of us who don't have super sonic muscles, it takes training. Training takes time and planning. My favorite marathon trainer is Hal Higdon! He has great 12-18 week plans.

2. You are going to be in pain at some point.

I have back pains all the time but, I also get knee pains from running. You need to take care of your body. I do yoga from the youtube channel "Yoga With Adriene" before and after every run. She has a great warmup and cool down sequence. It is very important to stretch to prevent even more pain.

3. There will always be someone faster and someone slower.

Don't get discouraged when someone passes you up in the race. Just focus on your race and finishing. That is the number one goal. You will also pass some people up. If you need a little motivation, try counting how many people you can pass in between the mile markers. The first 3-5 miles are so crowded because you all the leave the gate at the same time. Keep your concentration on your run, not those around you. HERE is some of my favorite running inspiration quotes to get me moving!

4. All you need to start is a pair of tennis shoes.

Trust me, I live for the stuff I can collect. But do you really need all the fancy gear when you start out? If you are running a half marathon I suggest investing in some good shoes made for running long distances. I just bought these Asics on sale! It is also best to go to a running store and get your feet analyzed to find the best fit. I have bought the wrong shoes before and ended up with major shine pain!

5. Getting out there is better than never going at all.

Start slow and go run/walk three times a week. Then move to four times a week. We all have bad runs. Just sleep it off and get up, get going again. I use a pre-workout energizer made by Vega that helps me get that extra boost of energy. It was created by a vegan triathlete, made for runners. (And no I am not vegan. I just had this specific energizer suggested to me by another blogger runner, Fit & Faithful). I mixed this in a smoothie 30 minutes before I run.

Like I said, I am no elite or expert. I run/walk all my runs. I am excited to say I have THREE runs coming up, including my FIRST full marathon!! I always run better when I have something to work towards! If you would like more fitness inspiration post, let me know!

Always with love,
Sadie Lee

Cheers to ONE Year!

WOW! I can not believe it has already been a year. We have been through a lot together. A couple of moves to different cities, a name change, and a few hundred outfits. My blogger Babe from "Cristina on Campus" made a tag called the 365 TAG and you can click here to read her blogiversary post. This year has been so much fun and I cant wait for the next chapter!

3 favorite post...

1. I have to say some of my most heartfelt post are some of my most viewed. Last year I lost my childhood dog. She lived 17 years with us and I made a memorial post and asked my readers to give me some time off while I dealt with that. I got so many sweet emails about her being in a better place. I was so touched by everyone's kind words and sympathy. It really showed me how great the blogger community is. You can read that post here. 

2. I think two post that go hand in hand are my "Change." post and my "Plans for 2015." post. I had a rough school year. A lot happened that I would rather not talk about but I learned so much about myself that I feel like a completely different person. These post will always have a special place in my heart. They are a reminder of how life was before/during that hard time and how I want to constantly work towards happiness. 

3. My top viewed post was "A Night Off And A Pretty Dress..." A few weeks ago. I teamed up with a lovely girl named Cassie. She is a representative for my favorite boutique Riffraff. You can click the post to find her discount code! I love meeting new blogger babes and doing collab post. They are so much fun!

6 things I've learned...

1. If you want it to happen, make it happen. No one is going to make your blog for you (okay, someone might but let's be real lol). It takes time and a little dedication to make it all work. Your blog will be what you put into it. 

2. Plan ahead. I have caught myself going completely blank before and not knowing what to write. Some weeks I stay in Nike shorts and tshirts, the oh-so-fashionable college kid that I am. If you plan out your post, maybe even write them ahead of time, you can just log on and hit publish. Then your done for that day! 

3. Work with what you got. I started out without a lot of snapshot photos of my week and I didn't like where my blog was going. I still work with an iPhone camera (working on getting a update on that still) but, I've learned what are the best editing apps and exposure cameras to help increase the quality of my photos. I have also recruited my friends and family to take my photos so I can get full body. I mean look how good my dad did on these one year photos, am I right? 

4. Be original and try new things. I use to do a segment called "Who's That?" featuring different bloggers every Wednesday. It worked for awhile but I didn't have time to contact more people when school started. The point is I came up with my own content to produce. If you do something that no one else does, people will notice. 

5. Get connected. Don't be afraid of Internet friends. We are all here because we have a common passion. I love emailing and connecting with different bloggers. They are always there to lean on when you need help with your blog and support through anything.  

6. Never give up. I have taken LONG breaks from my blog before and that's okay. There will be days that you don't want to express yourself to strangers. It happens. Try to come back though. I promise someone is there reading. I went through a short phase where I thought "what's the point? I put in so much work to keep an online journal of my closet." Then I got a sweet email about how she missed my writing and where I got a j.crew top from a super old post. That's when I realized, someone is there.

5 things I'm looking forward to...

1. Growth. I have a lot of exciting things planned for Hey Sadie Lee. This year has taught me so much about blogging and I can't wait for so much more. I think as you learn more , it reflects on your blog. The attitude and passion that you put into it will shine through. I'm really exciting to get more organized and work on my consistency. 

2. More friends. I love all the people I have worked with, bloggers and companies included! This is one of the best communities I have been apart of and I thinking blogging itself is becoming bigger and bigger, which will mean more people. More people equals more friends!

3. Better pictures. The biggest fault in my blog is most likely my pictures. I want to get a better camera. So a better camera to make better pictures is hopefully in the future. For now we will stick with my dads fancy camera and my iPhone! 

4. More clothes. I think the best thing that has come from blogging my outfits is that I notice the type of clothing I put on my body. I have been able to watch my fashion develop and know what looks good on me. I use to hate online shopping because I was so afraid of buying something that I would be disappointed with later. Now I know what styles to shop for and my sizes. 

5. The next chapter. There is this feeling deep down in my gut that says this blog is a good thing. I know that the next chapter in life is going to hold a lot and I can not wait to see where this journey is going to take me. Fashion has always been such a big part of my life and I'm excited for the future.

My blogiversary did hit in the middle of finals week for summer school so this post is over due BUT, I had a lot of exciting things I wanted to include, such as, I now own the URL www.HeySadieLee.com and I have a new web design. I made a deal with myself if I kept the blog for a year, I can have the URL as a present. What should year two's present be? I hope you enjoyed my yearly wrap up and look around to see whats new here on HEY SADIE LEE! Thank you guys so much! I wouldn't be able to do this if it weren't for y'all! I can't wait to celebrate all the blogiversary birthdays ahead!

Always with love,
Sadie Lee