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So this post is a little late because I just can’t believe the journey has already come to an end! It was only in July that I first received an invitation from the fine folk at Finish Line and Nike to be a part of the Nike Women’s Half Marathon. As a long time Nike advocate this was such a tipping point for my love and loyalty to the brand. It’s an incredible feeling to align yourself with a brand that inspires you and then have it return the mutual feeling.

Next came the training events and running surprise and delights. Nike did an incredible job at helping the community keep up with the training that it didn’t even feel like work. And before I had time to slow down, race day was around the corner.

I had no idea what the influencer life was like until that race day weekend. The day before the race Nike hosted a 2 mile warm up run that hundreds of people signed up for. But the true spoiling came after. We got brunch at this bougie little hotel/restaurant, Dirty Habit. We had a private outside patio where gifts, mimosas, photographers and a breakfast bar awaited us. After snapping my life away to capture every angle of the glorious moment I finally sat down to examine my treasure chest. Nike hooked us up with a weekender bag, jacket, socks, and our race day bib packet - so we didn’t have to wait in lines to get them. And as if that wasn’t all enough, we also got branded portable charging batteries…perfect for social media junkies, like myself.

Seriously though, I’ve never smiled so much in my life before. It’s safe to say I went home that day walking on cloud 9. Come race day the next morning I was so pumped. I love the crisp morning air of SF and seeing the massive crowds of people, who are also pumped to do the same thing you’re about to do. Granted, I think I may have blacked out a little during mile 10 but no feeling can replace the one you have when you cross that finish line.