Thelma and Louise Race

I was lucky to have run my first half-marathon in Moab, Utah, alongside some of my best friends, and watch my mother finish the 50k at the same race! The Thelma and Louise race is an all-women’s race that was both extremely challenging and exciting to complete. I trained for months before, since the farthest I had ever run before this was 5 miles!

My mother, who ran the 50k race in Moab (I know, so cool), is a UESCA running coach and created running logs for my friends and me that allowed us to gradually and safely increase our mileage weekly, leading up to the big day. At first, it was challenging to even get out to run three days a week. Then, once the runs got longer, it was hard to manage my schedule and time in a way that was helpful to my training. As hard as it was to get out and run in 30 degrees, rain, or do my long runs on a treadmill (boring!), I believe it helped increase my discipline, and I learned a lot about motivating myself.

I will say, I think one of my biggest motivators was that I knew I’d always feel so good after my runs, no matter how hard or easy they felt. It was always a nice time to go to the beach, listen to a podcast or music, and show myself that I can successfully challenge myself. Every time I run, I think about how good it feels to even have the ability to pick my feet up and get out there. It is a privilege that many people take for granted.

I like practicing gratitude and mindfulness before or during a run, since it helps me get out there and push myself. Luckily, the WMTH team has been working on a podcast that includes some guided mindfulness practices that I would listen to!

I felt prepared for the distance of the run. I did some training on trails behind my house, but the east coast sea-level terrain is definitely not comparable to the mountainous hills in Moab, Utah. There were times we were on all fours, climbing up rocks! The view was incredible, though. It was so distracting and made the time pass by so much quicker than I anticipated.

The event was incredible. Every single participant was so kind, so helpful, and so motivating! Coming from New York, my friends and I had a tough time with the altitude. It was hard feeling so prepared for something and having our breath be the thing that held us back, since it had never been before. In a weird way, though, it was kind of fun to have an additional challenge (aside from the insane terrain and massive hills) to overcome.

It was so fun to cross the finish line with my friends and see our other friends who had done another distance waiting and cheering us on at the finish line. It was inspirational to watch my mom finish hours later, doing practically three times the distance we did. We had the loveliest weekend in Moab preparing for and celebrating the race, and I can’t wait to continue incorporating running into my routine.