Miami 305 Half Marathon Race Recap: When a Race Doesn't Go Your Way

This past weekend I ran the Miami 305 Half Marathon, and while I truly loved every part of the race, it didn’t go the way I had hoped.

I took my training for this race very seriously. Compared to my first half marathon in October 2025, I trained more consistently, put in more miles, and felt stronger overall. I had a goal in mind and believed I had done the work to get there. But the week of the race, something started to feel off.

My left foot began hurting, and I immediately got nervous. The shoes I had been training in clearly weren’t working well for my feet anymore. Luckily, I didn’t fracture anything, but the discomfort was definitely there. With only six days until race day, I did everything I could to try to heal it—icing, elevating, doing exercises, and taking ibuprofen. I was determined to give my foot the best chance possible before lining up at the start.

The day before the race, I made a risky decision: I bought brand new running shoes.

Normally, runners know you’re not supposed to do that right before a race. But I knew one thing for certain—I wasn’t going to wear the pair that had been hurting my foot. They simply weren’t comfortable, and I didn’t trust them to carry me through 13.1 miles. I took the gamble and hoped the new pair would cooperate (which they luckily did).

That night, my mom made pasta with her homemade sauce (which was incredible), and we stayed in a cute historical hotel near the race start. It felt calm and special,

exactly the kind of night you want before a race. On race morning, I actually felt pretty good. I wasn’t overly nervous, except for wondering how my foot would hold up. Before heading to the start, I stopped by the medical tent to have my foot professionally wrapped. It gave me a little extra confidence that I’d be able to get through the miles ahead.

Then the race started—and suddenly I was off, running 13.1 miles through Miami.

All of the races I’ve done before were runDisney races, so running along the beach and through my hometown felt incredibly special. The views were beautiful, and the energy of the race was amazing. It felt different in the best way.

If I’m being honest though, once I cross a finish line I almost completely forget the course. It’s like a weird kind of runner’s amnesia, I remember the feelings more than the exact miles or turns. Luckily, I recorded a half marathon vlog that’s up on my Instagram and TikTok, so at least I have proof of what actually happened out there.

What really stood out during the race was the support. Friends and family cheering me on, messages before the race—it meant everything. I truly needed that encouragement. Then mile 6 happened: that’s when things started to go downhill. I was almost halfway through the race, but my foot started hurting a lot more. I had to slow down, take more walking breaks, and adjust my pace. My goal for this race was to finish in under 2:30, and I could feel that slipping away.

I was honestly really bummed. I had trained so hard for this race, and in that moment it felt like my own body was betraying me. So I had to make a choice: keep beating myself up about my pace, or shift my mindset and run the race I was capable of that day. I decided to switch to what runners call “party pace.”

Later in the race, I spotted a group of runners wearing matching outfits with a sign that said “Party Pace.” I started running near them for as long as I needed to, and honestly it helped me break through the mental block I had hit. Instead of focusing on what I had lost, I focused on finishing strong and enjoying the moment.

Crossing the finish line still felt incredibly sweet. I finished with a time of 2:52, which is 21 minutes faster than my first half marathon. When I really thought about that, it put everything into perspective. Do I think I could have gone sub-2:30 if my foot hadn’t been hurting? Honestly… I think so. I guess the only way to find out is to sign up for another half marathon.

Even though this race didn’t go exactly as planned, I loved every second of it. This race reminded me that one bad day doesn’t define you as a runner. What matters is how you respond when things don’t go according to plan. Being able to shift my mindset, keep moving forward, and still enjoy the race made all the difference.

At the end of the day, I still ran 13.1 miles. And that’s something worth celebrating.