2020 Half Marathon Schedule (So Far!)

Life in my neck of the woods has been a lil crazy lately in both my work and personal life (as it always gets this time of year!), so I apologize for the lack of life updates from me over here on the blog. I hope you all enjoyed my posts about my New Orleans trip (which you can find here, here, and here) because I had a blast sharing them with you! I'm hoping once I'm done with travel post-LA weekend (so mid-March 😂) I'll be able to get back to my normal blogging rhythm and update you on my non-running aspects of my life, but until then just know that even though I've been busy I've been having a great time!

I'm about to jet off to Orlando for Princess Half Marathon weekend and I am oh so excited! ✈ There will definitely be Disney posts and vlogs coming your way when I return so get excited for that! I feel like my full marathons get the bulk of the attention on my blog and socials, but because I'm about to embark on my first half marathon of the year, I thought I would highlight all of the half marathons I'm planning to run in 2020. (So far! There's always room for more. 😉) I really love the half marathon distance because I feel like while it's still a huge undertaking when it comes to endurance, it's also a distance where I feel comfortable trying to push the pace on. I hope to see some of you at these races throughout the year!

Disney Princess Half Marathon

Sunday, February 23
Orlando, FL

The Disney Princess Half Marathon has been on my bucket list since I was in college and I am SO JAZZED that I finally get to run it this Sunday! Like I said, I'll be posting plenty about my experience here and on my channel, but definitely follow along on Twitter and Instagram as I'm sure I'll be making plenty of posts in real-time. 👑

Providence Half Marathon

Sunday, May 3
Providence, RI

I love staying a bit local for half marathons and shorter distances. It allows me to make it either a morning or day trip instead of it being a multi-day affair like my marathons tend to be. I'm extra excited that my Half Fanatics membership got me a baller discount for the Providence Half Marathon this May because I've been eyeing this race for a while! Providence is only about 30 minutes from where I live so it'll be a great way to spend a Sunday morning after a crazy spring semester!

John & Jessie Kelley Half Marathon

Saturday, August 1
New London, CT

I ran this race last summer and I was totally impressed by it! This is a race that runs completely on runner donations and if you can't afford a donation you are still able to run it for free. I honestly wasn't expecting much more than an outlined course but I was blown away at how much volunteer support they had, how many water stations were available, and the fact that there were finisher's medals! This race is only open to 1,000 runners and the registration doesn't open until May, but I totally want to go back and maybe make this a recurring race for myself!

Smuttynose Rockfest Half Marathon

Sunday, October 4th
Hampton, NH

Disclaimer: I received entry to the Smuttynose Rockfest Half Marathon to review as part of being a BibRave Pro. Learn more about becoming a BibRave Pro (ambassador), and check out BibRave.com to review find and write race reviews!

As I mentioned in my previous post about this race, I have been wanting to run the Smuttynose Rockfest Half for years, so I was pumped that I was added to the BibRave Pro team that was running this event! I am so excited to return to my home state and run along the coast, and I'm especially excited to experience the post-race party. There is plenty more on this race to come, so stay tuned! If you're planning on registering (which you definitely should!) use the code "SAVE10" for 10% off your registration!

Mount Dora Half Marathon

Sunday, December 20
Mount Dora, FL

Disclaimer: I received entry to the Mount Dora Half Marathon & 5K to review as part of being a BibRave Pro. Learn more about becoming a BibRave Pro (ambassador), and check out BibRave.com to review find and write race reviews!

The last half I have on my schedule (for now!) is the Mount Dora Half Marathon! I love me a good, festive race during the holidays and because now I'm usually down in Florida around Christmas, I'm always looking for a race that is near my parents. Luckily, the opportunity presented itself for me to run the Mount Dora Half in December! We have quite a bit of time before this race comes around (just a cool 10 months 😂) but I'm excited for the festive feel of this small town race! Use the code "BIBRAVE" for 10% off your registration and join me in Florida this December!

Race Review: Ocean Beach/John & Jessie Kelley Half Marathon 2019

In August I participated in the Ocean Beach/John & Jessie Kelley Half Marathon down in New London, Connecticut. I was searching for a half marathon to round out the summer and came across this one that just so happened to be free for runners. You can read more about the story of the race here, but I thought it was so cool that a race that has been around for as long as this one has still operates solely off donations and that folks who love to race can participate for free if they would like. I donated some money to the race while I was signing up because I thought the initiative was just so cool and something I hadn't seen before. I wanted to keep it alive!

I tried to keep in mind that this race was free as I was evaluating how things were being run. One of the first things that I really noticed was that bib pick up was a little on the chaotic side. There really wasn't a lot of direction as to where to go and how to pick up your bib, so it was pretty overwhelming trying to swim through the crowds and figure out where I was supposed to go. I was a little worried that that was going to be reflective of the entire race, but thankfully that was the only real complaint I had about how the race was managed all day.

Race morning was absolutely gorgeous and sunny, but It was going to be a HOT ONE. That always makes me pretty nervous when I'm running a long distance, but I wasn't really trying to strive for a fast time. I was just there trying to put some miles toward my Newport Marathon training and enjoy the scenery. I opted to take the run super easy and one mile at a time.

The race limits the field to the first 1,000 registrants and it was completely sold out! I love when I'm part of a sell out field. That's how I know I'll be running with folks nearby the entire race. I made some small talk with the runners around me as we awaited the national anthem and did some warm ups and stretches, and before I knew it we were off on the course.

I felt super nauseous for the first three miles of the race. I was honestly questioning whether or not I should take a DNF because the starts just were not aligning for me, but eventually I settled into the race and I started to feel better. I just put one foot in front of the other and kept on trucking through the heat and humidity. The route was absolutely gorgeous and we got so many waterfront views. It's one of those races that just make you feel so lucky to be outside enjoying the scenery, you know?

I will say that the course support for a local race was so great. There were water stops every mile and a half or so, all with enthusiastic volunteers cheering us on. One of my favorite stations was mile 8 where they were handing out bags of ice cubes. I didn't know how much a needed a bag of ice cubes until I was handed a bag of ice cubes, haha. I walked for a while with the bag on my head as the ice cubes melted down. The community was also so great with cheering on the runners. I passed so many houses that just had their hoses going for runners to run through and get cool refreshing relief from the unrelenting heat. I love when neighbors do that along the course!

This half was one of my longer halfs to date, which between the heat and my feeling gross for the first quarter of the race makes a whole lot of sense. I ended up finishing at 2:46:08 and crossed the finish line to so many friendly faces. The race itself had a 3 hour time limit but it seemed like a decent amount of runners just stuck around to cheer everyone across the finish line, which was so nice to see! I also stuck around for a while longer and cheered the last few runners through. I love that feeling of camaraderie at a race! 😊

Even though the race was free to participants, you still got a medal at the end of the race which I wasn't really expecting and was so pleasantly surprised! I figured that because the race is free that it was just going to be a get-your-bib-and-run situation, but you still got a medal to commemorate your accomplishment which was amazing! They were also giving out waters (which I obviously took) and I believe they were giving away some bananas as well. They also had a hose-shower at the finish line to cool off with. Not too shabby for a free race, in my opinion!

Overall this race was great, and something that I'm definitely considering participating in every year. I don't really have a race that I always run on an annual basis, but I can totally see this race being that race for me. Such a fun, well put together race for the very very affordable price of free! 😏