Training for a half marathon: Must keep running

Jennifer Fontanez is a kindergarten teacher in South Jersey who is training for her first half marathon.

Must. Keep. Running.

At this point in the training, running has become more of a routine for me. While I am excited to do the marathon training, the excitement of starting a training program has started to wear off, the mileage has started to increase, and the race is still two months away.

It's time to find some new motivation! One of the reasons why I had never really taken up running, especially long-distance running, was because it seemed to be boring. While running on a treadmill, going nowhere, and seeing the same view for 5 miles could easily destroy my desire for running, the outdoors helps a lot. I have used an online running tool called Mapmyrun.com to help me clock out the distances I will be running for my weekly runs. It has all sorts of great information about the route, however, you should still be somewhat familiar with your running route. Having new places to go helps me find the motivation to keep the distance, especially when I'm doing a 5-mile run. The reality of the longer distance runs is that you, as a runner, are going to be running for a longer period of time. I'm an extremely visual and goal-oriented person, so knowing exactly where my half-way point is located is important to me and helps me get through the run one half at a time.

Another thing that makes me rock out on my run is a good playlist. Music is what keeps me going during all of my runs. I have run 5ks without music and trained with other runners, but I find the fast, fun music I can rock out to is really what gives me the best time and pace. This week I went through my music library and made a new list to get me amped for my 5 mile run. With my music list ready and my training course mapped, I was ready! Even when I felt like I was getting tired, I would just focus on the music and get myself motivated to get the run done. This week was another successful week on my training journey and I finished a 5.3 mile run feeling great. Let's bring on week 4!

To all fellow runners out there: what keeps you motivated during a longer run?

Run with me!:

Join the Wild Half Marathon & 8k Facebook group to get your training started and follow me on twitter as I continue with the 2nd week: @fitfunjen203.

If you haven't yet registered for the Wild Half Marathon, click here. Philly.com readers get $10 off registration before May 1 by using promo code PHILLYDOTCOM at checkout.