Gearing up for my first HALF MARATHON!

Something you're going to learn about me very quickly: I LOVE free stuff.  Just a glance at my Twitter account (@FitNyx) will give you some idea of how frequently I throw my hat into the ring for giveaways.  Sometimes it feels almost like a part-time job - which makes every win even more rewarding.

I've had a lucky summer, at least as far as giveaways go.  I've won three race entries (one of which I sadly had to give away), some cool gear, and some tasty snacks.  To be sure, I'll be hosting some giveaways of my own once I get a little more firmly established!

The biggest win so far has been my exciting free entry to the Magnificent Mile Chicago Women's Half Marathon, thanks to the generosity of Maggie over at Mag Mile Runner.  I've never run more than a 5k race in my life, and only just recently have passed the 5k mark in my training runs, so diving into a half marathon in just a few short weeks is incredibly daunting.  Really, it is not enough time to properly train and prepare for the undertaking, but I'm doing it anyway.  And for the purposes of this blog, we're going to ignore the fact that my free entry was for EITHER the half or the 5k, and that I willingly chose to torture myself with 13.1 miles at the end of the month.

You'll get to hear all about my "training" for this event, which so far is comprised of a handful of neighborhood runs that have yet to truly test me for what I'm facing in a few weeks, but for now I'd like to point out a great Woot deal that is highly relevant to my preparation: CamelBak Hydration Packs are available over 60% off today!

I've never used something like this, or taken any kind of mobile hydration with me on a run, so I don't know how to approach this deal.  Do I need something like this for a half marathon?  Will there be enough water stations along the way?  I knowst not, but if I can get an order in before they sell out, methinks I'll give it a try!  At the very least, I'll have one for that day when I go truly insane and tackle a full marathon - and I'll have gotten it for a steal.

Have YOU ever used a hydration pack?  Tell me all about it in the comments!  And be sure to keep an eye out for a product review, should I talk myself into this purchase...