Half Marathon - Week 13

Weekly Total: 28.2 miles. A lighter week of training this week and my first race since the beginning of January.  I had some quality runs this week and was very happy with the pace run on Wednesday that was 8 miles at roughly 9:00 pace. Next step for me is to figure out what pace I want to target for the race in May as I originally thought 10:30 but now its look like I should aim lower.

Monday: Rest.
Tuesday: 2x2M@8:30; 3x200@7:10.  5 miles;
Wednesday: 8M pace run w/ 1M pickup. 8 miles.
Thursday: 52 minutes easy. 6 miles.
Friday:  42 minutes easy. 4 miles.
Saturday: Rest.
Sunday: 50:05 - 10k road race. 6.2 miles.

Half Marathon - Week 12

Weekly Total: 33.8 miles. Another solid week of training and my 2nd training run at race distance. I am starting to really get the hang of running distances of 10+ miles. Also, I was able to get in both a full 10k at sub-9:00 pace in preparation for my upcoming race.  I am hoping I can drop the pace down to at least 8:30 for the race and come in under 50 minutes.

Monday: Rest.
Tuesday: 8 Hill Repeats @ 7.5% & 7.5mph.  5 miles;
Wednesday: 10k pace run @ 8:50. 6.2 miles.
Thursday: 52 minutes easy. 5 miles.
Friday:  42 minutes easy. 4 miles.
Saturday: Rest.
Sunday: 2:07 long run. 13.6 miles.

Half Marathon - Week 11

Weekly Total: 33.1 miles. Not sure if it was the lighter than normal week last week or that I was finally not feeling sick but I busted out some serious running this week.  In addition to some quality speed and pace runs during the week this is my first time ever running a half marathon.  It was definitely brutal but part of that is probably because I ran the first 10k at a personal best averaging sub-9:00 miles.  I am starting to feel much better about the race in May and really looking forward to seeing what I can do at the 10k in Groton as I am going to push hard and see if I can run a sub-54:00 10k.

Monday: Rest.
Tuesday: 2x1M @ 9:00 + 2x800 @ 8:00.  5 miles;
Wednesday: 42 minutes easy. 4 miles.
Thursday: 5 miles @ 9:50 + 1 mile pickup @ 9:00. 6 miles.
Friday:  Rest.
Saturday: 2:11 long run. 13.1 miles.
Sunday: 55 minutes easy. 5 miles.

Half Marathon - Week 10

Weekly Total: 27.1 miles. This was a step back week for me with some reduced mileage. I haven't really done one of these yet but I was coming off being sick at the start of the week and my body was feeling pretty beat up. I guess we will see next week if it makes it any easier or harder. I've got about 6 weeks of training before I taper and I'd like to get at least 2-3 race distance long runs in.

Monday: Rest.
Tuesday: 6 hills @ 8% grade & 8mph + warm-up/cooldown; 4.5 miles;
Wednesday: Rest.
Thursday: 5 miles @ 9:30 + 1 mile pickup @ 8:45. 6 miles.
Friday:  40 minutes easy; 4 miles.
Saturday: 1:34 long run. 8.6 miles.
Sunday: 42 minutes easy; 4 miles.

Hooray for Gu!

For those of you following, I had been having issues for the past 3-4 weeks on trying to break the 10M mark for my long run.  I finally broke it last week but it wasn't a fun experience by any means.  The recovery was brutal and I struggled through my speed workout 2 days following it.

That brings me to this week which I will say is quite a breakthrough for me.  After 45 minutes of my run, I ate a Gu Roctane Energy Gel:

These things may be the greatest invention ever; within a few minutes I could feel the small rush of energy from the small amount of sugar and then for the next hour my legs felt great from the release of energy from the complex carbs that make up the rest of the gel.  I have only really been drinking water up until this point on my runs but now I realize that was probably why I was struggling so bad later in the long runs.

In short, I highly recommend these and the pineapple ones actually taste great.  Just watch out because the consistency is something that will surprise you at first because its like gritty jello.


Nutritional facts: 
100 calories, 25g carbs, 5g sugars, 125mg sodium, 55mg potassium

Half Marathon - Week 9

Weekly Total: 30.3 miles. An extremely good training week for me posting the most miles I have ever run in a week and my longest run to date.  I started using Gu Energy gels on my long run and the difference is night and day. I no longer hit that hard wall around 9-10 miles and this week even after 11 miles I had some gas in my tank.  I also ran a great pace run on Thursday running 6 miles or so at sub-goal pace.

Monday: Rest.
Tuesday: Good speed workout. 2x[1200@9:30; 800@9:00; 400@8:30]. 4.5 miles.
Wednesday: 37 minutes easy.  3.5 miles.
Thursday: 5 miles @ 9:50 + 1 mile pickup @ 8:00. 6 miles.
Friday:  Rest.
Saturday: 2:07 long run. 11.3 miles.
Sunday: 54 minutes easy w/ 1 mile pickup @ 8:00. 5 miles.

Half Marathon - Week 8

Weekly Total: 28.3 miles. Interesting week to say the least.  Tuesday I had to cut my workout short because I forgot my shoes at work and the backup pair I have are not made for running.  Wednesday I woke up and had something weird going on with my throat that was making it hard to breathe, but the doctor cleared me later that day. I ran a double session on Friday for the first time to give me a break before my long and because my dad was visiting.  Sunday was the first day I have run a double-digit long and I always said I would officially sign up for the half marathon after I could run 10+, so I am going to sign up this week.

Monday: Rest.
Tuesday: Easy 3 miles plus some rowing. 3 miles.
Wednesday: Rest.
Thursday: 2x2M@10:00 w/ recoveries + cool down. 6 miles.
Friday:  Morning: 56 minutes easy. Afternoon: 6x200 hill repeats at 9% grade & 8:30. 9 miles.
Saturday: Rest.
Sunday: 1:56 long run. 10.3 miles.