Running a half marathon without training: What I wore, ate and learned

Let me start by saying: train. I suggest training for a half marathon or any long-distance run for that matter.

However, when my brother was telling me about his upcoming weekend plans to run the Toronto Half Marathon, I invited myself to join — a day and a half before the event.

I’m reporting back on my experience a few hours after finishing the race, coming in at just over 2:30 hours. Prior to this 21-kilometre run, I had only run a few 5 km this season. Last year, I partook in a 10 km race, but that’s the extent of my running experience. I take cardio-based barre and weight classes regularly — so I wasn’t hopping in from zero to 100.

I did some last-minute research about running a half marathon and learned that you’re not supposed to change anything abruptly on race day from your training. This includes eating the same foods, wearing the same shoes and wearing familiar fabrics. Considering I didn’t have much training to divert from nor any time to actually train, I decided to channel all my energy into a new outfit. I headed right to lululemon because it’s what I know and trust.