Couch to Half Marathon: My Journey to 13.1

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This article is written by a student writer from the Her Campus at Northeastern chapter and does not reflect the views of Her Campus.

For the past five years of my life, fitness videos have been a mainstay on my social media feeds. From Chloe Ting in 2020 to the re-emergence of “SkinnyTok” this year, I’ve seen it all. Having played sports all my life, staying active was never something I put much thought into, but after two major knee surgeries in high school, I felt a bit lost. I attempted virtually every trendy workout over the years, and nothing seemed to click for me (the weighted hula hoop was the most ridiculous by far). For a long time, my focus was on keeping my body as thin as possible, which led me to hate exercise altogether. The thought of getting out of bed for a walk felt overwhelming, and the onslaught of conflicting advice from fitness creators didn’t help either. I had no idea who to believe. One creator would swear that the 12-3-30 treadmill routine was all I needed, while the next would go on and on about how cardio was the worst thing I could do for my body.

I was in a rut, and I decided that 2025 would be the year I finally did something about it. I’m usually against New Year’s resolutions because they’re typically goals that only last for the month of January, but I set a pretty lofty one for myself this year: I was going to run a half marathon. I’ve never been a runner; for most of my life, I actively hated running. I’m not sure what possessed me to make this decision, but once I found myself paying the entry fee, there was no backing out.

It started off terribly. I had found a beginner’s guide to running a half marathon online, and it seemed simple enough, as the first run was only two and a half miles (I’m not sure if I’d ever run more than two miles at that point). I felt confident and approached the treadmill in my dorm’s gym with purpose. I barely made it halfway through before I turned off the machine and walked back to my room dejectedly. What had I gotten myself into?

There were many times throughout this process when I almost quit. I just didn’t think I had the endurance to make it through 13.1 miles. After I initially returned to my room, sweaty and out of breath, I voiced my concerns to my roommate. She told me to shrug it off and keep going. I was frustrated with her advice at first. Did she know how much energy, and honestly, time it took to keep up with training? I sat with her words for the rest of the night and went to bed.

I woke up with sore limbs and aching bones, and it felt good. It hurt to walk a little, but for the first time in years, my body felt energized and healthy. While it’s a stretch to say that I stuck to my training schedule perfectly from that point forward, I was more consistent than I’d ever been. Running gave me a reason to get out of bed and stop doomscrolling on my phone, and for that, I owe so much to it. I was finally moving my body for the sole purpose of feeling good rather than looking good, and that was freeing.

There were certainly some difficult days when I stopped running a mile in though my plan called for 10. I still get winded after three miles, despite all this time spent training. As the day of my half marathon approaches, I’m not sure if I’ll be able to finish the entire race without some breaks along the way. While my original goal was to run the full 13.1 miles, I’ll be happy just to cross the finish line in one piece. It may sound corny, but for me, it’s truly been about the journey, not the result; seeing what my body can do and how far it can go has brought me perspective.

With the resurgence of “SkinnyTok” and diet culture in 2025, I’ve certainly felt pressure for my body to look a certain way. There have been tough moments when I’ve looked in the mirror and questioned the point of all this hard work if I didn’t look like the fitness influencers who had taken over my feed. It didn’t really sink in until a few weeks ago when I hit eight miles for the first time. My feet felt like they were about to fall off, and I could barely stand afterward, but I had done it. I had overcome my self-doubt and all the negative thoughts that infiltrated my head to achieve something that took months of preparation and hard work. It’s hard to articulate, but I felt thankful for every part of my body. Thankful that it had carried me farther than I ever imagined and, more importantly, thankful that it had supported me through all 19 years of my life.

Running, especially long-distance running, is not for everyone. I’ve been doing it for the past few months, and I’m still not sure if it’s for me, but it has allowed me to block out all the noise and focus on moving my body. “Healthy” is a completely subjective term, and it looks different for everyone. My advice is to find something that feels fun and exciting. While I don’t always love the running part of half marathon training, I’ve really enjoyed compiling a playlist of songs that fuel me through my runs (house music makes up most of it, surprisingly) and cooking delicious meals that I enjoy afterward. At a time when the internet has sadly shifted away from content surrounding body positivity and toward the promotion of restrictive eating and unrealistic body standards, it’s important to recognize the strength of our bodies. Simply existing and getting through each day is an accomplishment, and no one’s opinion should diminish that.

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