Here Goes Nothing!

I seem to always start off a blog or FB note by saying "it's been awhile since I've blogged...or written a note"

I don't think I need to say that anymore and just write...

As it goes, tomorrow marks a new "venture" for me in the running world.  I am run many 5k road races, a ton of track races (800's and 1500's), but one place I have yet to go is the long (long long) distance route of half marathon or marathon.  Well, I don't think it will be anytime soon that I try to run that 26.2 mile race, but tomorrow marks my debut at the half marathon.  

It all kind of started 3 weeks ago when I was doing a predator run in Rock Island, IL.  I was doing a 10 mile run with the 2nd half faster than the first.  I went through my first 5 miles in just over 31 minutes and then started picking the pace up.  I started clicking off 5:30 miles and the last two miles were sub 5:20, ending on a 5:09 mile.  I thought to myself that I could have kept going  for a full 8k to 10k at that pace.  I thought to myself, pretty good considering I only had 5-6 weeks under my belt.  

After talking to my coach, Charlie Kern, I thought instead of doing a cross country season last like year I would do one, maybe two half marathons this fall as my strength training and then we'd start getting an earlier start to indoor and mile training!  The past 3 weeks of leading up to the half marathon, my workouts have not been the traditional half marathon prep, but I do know they have been really solid and tough workouts.  We've done one 16x400 (avg. 1:09 on a minute break) workout, two fatlek workouts, one that was 14 miles in length and a great workout with Sara Hall the friday before the marathon of 6x1200 starting at 5 min/mile pace and dipping down to 4:44/mile pace the last two.  Having said that I have had my mileage at 70 miles the first two weeks and this current week, including tomorrow's race, I will end up at 77-80 miles.  I haven't hit 78 miles since my Junior year of college, my best running year.

As I embark on tomorrow's Des Moines half marathon, I set a goal of breaking 1:10, but ultimately I'd like to be under 1:09, or 5:15/mile average.  It will be tough, but the weather is going to be great, the course looks to be fast, I'll be in my Red CKelite singlet and my awesome girlfriend, Beth Johnson is coming out to watch!

Wish me luck and I'll update tomorrow night or monday sometime!