“Let’s Cook It”: Nerds, City Views, and My Half Marathon.

About a quarter mile from the finish, I heard, “JUSTINEEEE!” I turned around and saw Corey from Waldo Run Club. Somehow, we had been neck and neck without seeing each other once during the race. We usually pace together at our Thursday 6 p.m. runs, so naturally, when I spotted him, I said, “Let’s cook it.”

And we did. 

We both sprinted for the finish and got under two hours. It was hilarious, a little chaotic, and a pretty perfect ending to the race.

The whole day was a good one.

It was COLDDDDD at the start, but the temperature ended up being pretty much perfect for running. I loved seeing the city skyline and running by Kauffman, under the cables. 

It was one of those moments where I looked around and thought, this is actually really cool. I have a client, Monica, who’s run marathons in every state and in major cities, and I’m pretty jealous of that kind of race travel. I’ve been chasing HYROX races in new cities, but a lot of those happen inside convention centers. Being outside and getting to experience the actual city while you run was REALLY cool. The hills didn’t seem like much either, especially after my only other half marathon, the William Jewell Half in Liberty, Missouri (but back in 2020, 6 years younger knees).

Kate Pias and I used to be therapists together at Centerpoint Medical Center, and hospital trauma bonding really does keep you connected for life. At the end of August, she asked if I wanted to do this race because she’d been thinking about it. We realized our paces were pretty similar and said, “Let’s do it.” We only did one long run together, where I found out she was faster than me. On race day, adrenaline must have taken over though because my pace ended up being much quicker than my training runs. She told me to go ahead around mile 12, AND THEN FINISHED ONLY SECONDS LATER. Totally fooled me, had no idea she had me in her sights the entire time. 

Apparently, socks are now a recurring race-day issue for me. At HYROX Miami, I forgot my race socks, so I DoorDashed a pair from Target. They seemed fine—until the sled push, when the sock on my right foot slid all the way down to my toes. I raced the rest of HYROX like that. This time, I forgot my Bombas, too. I’d worn compression socks under my pants and sweatshirt that I started out with at the start line because it was so cold, then ditched the layers before the start (I was told they typically will donate these clothes?!) and, as it turned out, had to race in the compression socks. Honestly? They worked great: they fit well, stayed up, and didn’t give me a single blister.

My race fuel was… Nerds.

I packed mini packs of Nerds and ate one at miles 5, 8, and 11. 

I figured out I liked them better while chewing gum. The Nerds kind of disappeared into the gum, which felt less like dumping a pile of little rocks straight into my mouth and hoping for the best. A little less choke-hazard energy. 😂

I’d also packed Big Chewy Nerds, which I discovered after the Kenneth Walker shoot. Kenneth is a big Nerds cluster guy, and the production team had left a variety pack behind—that’s how I found them. I think I saw Kenneth wearing a Nerds tie on Instagram, so maybe there’s a brand connection? No idea. I just know they’re delicious. I brought them to the pancake party after the race and shared the discovery.

The part about recovery

Race week felt weird before it felt good. I felt SO lazy. I backed off my usual lifting and ate more carbs than I normally do. With lipedema, I tend to eat lower-carb because I’ve noticed higher-carb periods can coincide with more pain for me. Changing both my training and eating at once felt like a tricky balance.

Bridget, our run coach and Waldo Run Club co-founder, inspired me to be more intentional about fueling. She shared what she was eating in the days before the race, including as much as 446 grams of carbs the day before. Seeing her talk about it helped me think more carefully about what my own body needed.

I also knew I was carrying fatigue. The weekend before taper week, I spent the day at our Tapp Into It Fitness vendor booth at Fall Fest from 8 a.m. to 5 p.m. The next day, I stacked strength work and a 7.5-mile run after a morning of clients. The weekend before that, I’d run 10 miles. I felt strained, and my Garmin data seemed to reflect it, so I made time for contrast therapy and let myself recover.

Here’s the data I’m still thinking about: Garmin showed my Training Status moving from Recovery to Peaking on October 15–16, then to Productive on race day. Those labels are estimates based on signals like VO₂ max, training load, and HRV. “Peaking” is the watch’s estimate that you may be in ideal race condition—not a guarantee—but the timing was still pretty cool.

I’ve also been learning that I don’t only have one running speed. My natural pace is steady, but I can find a faster rhythm when I focus on cadence. Jacob Gunn, my physical therapist at Onward Therapy, recorded me on the treadmill and helped me look at cadence, ground contact, and body alignment. I tend to get achy knees, and I’ve had a really bad runner’s knee that kept me out of running for a long time, so this matters to me. When I find the cadence that feels right, I move faster without feeling like I’m overworking myself. It feels so good when a run clicks like that.

My favorite part is the people.

We had a big group out there—people from Waldo Run Club, people from my fitness community, and friends who have become part of both.

 Bridget, Lindsay & Julia (running their first half marathons!), my client Sarah & Alex, and Waldo Run Club Members; Stephanie, Tyler, Corey P, and Cody (who took on the FULL marathon). Seeing familiar faces out there—and then seeing even more of them after—made the day feel so special.

Lindsay and Cory made a bet back in January that she would run a half marathon. And then she did it! 

Cory was cheering us on all weekend with signs he had made. That is the kind of support you remember. He was out there encouraging all of us, not just Lindsay.

We had an amazing cheer squad. The signs were so good, and there was a megaphone. Supposedly the entire group was incredibly entertained by Kenzie's talent on the megaphone too. Kate noticed my pace picked up every time we passed the cheer squad. I’d hear them, get fired up, and take off again.

Kate and I also saw a woman in a banana suit and both turned to each other like "why did that girl look so familiar?!" After miles of brainstorming and a Facebook message later, we discovered it was an ICU RN we had worked with YEARS AGO lol. 

Afterward, I used my bib to get my free drink from the beer garden: a fridge cig (DIET COKE), obviously. I hung out cheering people on as they finished and got to see friends I knew were racing—and people I didn’t even know were racing—come through. It was awesome to cheer them on and celebrate with them.

Then we all ended up at Lindsay’s house for a pancake party. Morgan made what I heard were incredible pancakes with orange zest. And Micah made a valiant attempt at deviled eggs as a last-minute idea. He didn’t even start making them until we got there, and I’m not sure they were fully finished before our tired asses all split. 😂

This year, I’ve been paying more attention to how much support I have—and how much community I’ve found beyond gym walls. The people I’ve met through running and training show up, cheer, make signs, and make very good pancakes. Those are the people I want to keep close: the ones who show up for me, and the ones I want to show up for, too.

I’m so grateful I got to run this race with so many of them. I know these photos will bring me right back to how loved and supported I felt.

Half Marathon Liberty MO March 2020: 2:08:34

Half Marathon KC Garmin October 2026: 1:59:21

Next up: HYROX on November 21. Today is Day 1 of 34 in my count up. I kicked it off with a spa visit and gratitude journaling—taking care of my body as I start this next training phase.