WOD: 20 min AMRAP
            4 ring dips + 4 pull ups
            4 HSPU
            8 53# KB swing


There have been a ton of articles (76,100 to be exact) all related to the great debate: can Crossfit training prepare you for a half marathon. I have always been intrigued with these articles. So, I'll share my story and my two cents.

I ran races (both 13.1 and 26.2) before Crossfit. My best race times all happened during this time period. This could be related to age, commitment level, diet, who really knows.

Once I started Crossfit, I gained weight. It wasn't bad weight. It was muscle. I was okay with that. That's not the point. I continued to run. I would do my WOD and then sprint out the door for a very difficult pace run. When I was training for my long race (40.1), I remember running a 5k, jumping in the car to go to a WOD and then running after the workout again. My thought process? I needed to mentally train my brain to run when tired. I still followed my running plan and maintained all of my pace runs, long runs, etc... Run was successful. Recovery was successful. All good.

Then there was the race where I woke up in the morning and decided to trade my half bib for a full. A tad crazy. But, I had been training. I had been running distance. I had built up to 17 miles. I knew what to expect being on my feet for 4+ hours. All good.

Then we come to last weekend...the kids all had sports events and 2 of the 3 had been cancelled. I made the decision I was going to run the half. Was I ready? Absolutely not. I hadn't run over 4 miles in at least a month. Heck, the week prior I logged ZERO miles. But, I knew what to expect with the course.{I must also mention, I wore Nick's shoes because mine were brand new and never been worn!} I knew I was under no pressure for myself to bust out some new PR. I was just doing it because I had the time AND because I had been running so much over the summer it seemed like a perfect bookend to the summer.

RESULTS: My time was 8 minutes slower than my previous races at the same location. No big deal. I was proud of that. I kept a consistent pace for the first 10 miles. I was prepared to begin walking at every mile after 3. My body hurt. My body still hurts. I have hurts in places I have never hurt before.

I currently have the cleanest diet I have ever had in my life. I didn't carb load. I didn't get the right amount of sleep. Heck, I didn't even own a sports bra to keep me together for 13.1 miles!

Did Crossfit prepare me? I guess that would depend on my expected results. Yes, Crossfit prepared me to work through mental pain, muscle fatigue, and keeping the goal in site. But nothing, I repeat N-O-T-H-I-N-G prepares you to be on your feet for that amount of time constantly pounding the pavement, never stopping, fast pace. Crossfit didn't make my recovery any quicker. I might be a stronger runner, but stronger didn't help my speed. Stronger didn't help me catch my breath. A half marathon wasn't "just another workout" for me.

Will I do it again? Absolutely.
.