The Different Reasons Why People Run In Half Marathons

The first reason is its challenging but the distance is manageable. The marathon has the appeal of conquering something which seems insurmountable. Just like any other challenge, preparing to run a marathon whether it is full or half is no walk in the park. One has to train for this and commit to it. Being able to run and finish the race is an accomplishment which is something to be proud of- a feather on one’s hat so to speak. Another reason is health. Running in a half marathon is an exercise which can be fun. It keeps one’s heart and social life healthy. It is a good cardio exercise. It is also a way of meeting people from all walks of life. Some people participate in half marathon because they might want to take their running fitness to the next level. Probably they want to leap from the 5K or 10K to a more ambitious 21K in running fitness. Others join half marathons to lose those extra pounds. It helps one burn extra calories.

A mile usually burns about 100 calories. It is said that the number of calories one burns in half marathon depends on how fast one runs. A 150 pound runner in a slow run can burn 1,625 calories at 11.5 minutes per mile while running a 9-minute mile can burn around 2,000 calories. While in a competitive pace of 7-minutes per mile in a half marathon one can burn almost 3,000 calories. This could boost one’s caloric burn. Some participate in half marathon because of the different perks and amenities which attract the runners to the starting line. The race medal is one amenity. Who wouldn’t want to receive a medal? Others before signing up for a full marathon usually participate first in half marathon to prepare themselves. Half marathons require less training and time. This suits busy people but still want to run.

It also takes weeks to fully recover from a marathon and running a half marathon would cut the recovery period shorter than that of the full. Some people participate in half marathon because they want to travel. How is this so? Well, there are so many cities out there which have half marathon events. And what better way to see a new place if not to join in half marathons. Lastly, runners are explorers at the end of the day. When they have conquered their running goal it’s inevitable that they will look forward to the next one. As mentioned before it’s a challenge to be conquer, a goal to be achieved.

Author Info:
Having a healthy body is not an easy task or goal. You still need to have different ways to make your body fit and healthy like from diet to your work out. Just like me half marathon training is one of the ways to make my body fit.

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