Last weekend our very own Jenny Arnett checked a half marathon off her bucket list when she completed the 13.1 miles of the Kentucky Derby Mini-Marathon in Louisville. Being one of the many people that embark on this journey having only run a consecutive 3-miles previously, Jenny gives us some insight on her training and diet leading up to the race:

It all started last fall, when I was determined to finally get back into shape.  I started kickboxing and quickly came down with the work out bug.  My sister-in-law and I realized that this could be the time to cross something off of our bucket list: the half-marathon.

Training started in January, and I quickly discovered I hated running in cold weather.  This made training in the dead of winter, in Illinois, insanely difficult.  My diet changed from just casually watching what I eat, to making sure I get the right amount of protein and carbs during the day. The training schedule consisted of three shorter runs (anywhere from 3 to 6 miles) during the week and one longer run on the weekend (6 to 10 miles). I know this may sound easy to serious runners, but before this I had never ran more than 3 miles at one time!  Not to mention the fact that I was still working full time, playing tennis, and keeping a social life!  It took a lot of time management and determination (and playlists) to get where I needed to be by the end of April.  I took full advantage of the support I got from friends and family and, of course, simple motivational quotes a la Pinterest.

Everything became so much easier when I could run outside, and I could rely on my sunglasses to hold up to the challenge.  I got the Eos glasses about halfway through my training and was hooked. I absolutely love the way they fit, they’re super lightweight, they don’t move on my face, and they block out the sun perfectly in any lighting! We completed the race, both rocking our ZEAL Eos sunglasses. I feel like a true runner now – it’s time to start training for my next race – The Color Run!