Meet Me HALF Way

My training has been going pretty well. As per my bargain with my legs at mile 21 in the NYC Marathon, I have been smarter. I haven't put on as many miles as I had planned, but I also haven't sacrificed my strength training to do so. I'm averaging about 2.5 days a week at the gym. I'm not forgetting my core.

I gained 5 pounds since January. And I'm very happy about that.

I lined up three half marathons for the beginning of 2010 and am training accordingly. I haven't done a run longer than 12 miles; I will not do one longer than 15 until July. I have not and will not over extend my mileage as I had in the past. The first race, the Manhattan Half, was in January. Amanda H. and I ran that one together splendidly. We set an honest goal of an 8:50 min/mile pace and achieved 8:48 min/mile. This was a great entry race for the season and kept us both dedicated to our training. Our Saturday morning runs set a great foundation for me, for this season. Thanks Amanda!

Coaching for TNT has been great, but it did take some adjusting. I've found a good weekly rhythm. Our group training sessions serve as my easy runs, sometimes speed work. I generally do not perform the given workout because I am there to assist the participants. Getting the long run done has been a bit of a challenge, but again, I'm happy that I haven't sacrificed strength.
[caption id="attachment_135" align="aligncenter" width="300" caption="I found a burst of speed at the end."][/caption]

The NYC Half is this Sunday. I aggressively stated my expected finish time would be 1:31. When I signed up I honestly didn't know where I'd be. In fact, I'm still not sure. But on February 28th, I ran the Al Gordon Snowflake 4 miler at a personal best pace. Still, I don't know what this means. This Half will serve as a test of my fitness. Can I PR? That would be a sub 1:37ish, better than a 7:24. Can I reach 1:31 which is a 6:57 min/mile pace? I'm not going to even try. I'm going to be smart about this. Is my fitness level as good as it was last May when I PRed? What should my target pace be? Stay tuned for the next exciting episode...