Half Marathon Training

One might think that it is relatively hard to train for a long race. The truth is that it is! But let's qualify that. Everytime I think I have reached the maximum I can possibly run, I prove that it is only a mind barrier. Today after about four months of training, I almost ran 12 miles on my distance day. Near the end, the legs were heavy, and I felt exhausted but the time was well within my goal. I am getting close now to completing one run at half marathon distance. That is reassuring. It is telling me that the plan is working and my body continues to be trained at a reasonable pace. In one month, I have increased the distance more than three miles by reaching out in small increments in each long run. Even the other practice runs are longer now. The practice run that was 3-4 miles a month ago, is 4-7 miles now. I might run my first half marathon distance this month. It appears to be within reach now! Today I started out at an easy relaxed pace, similar to what one faces in a crowd at the start of a race. In the middle I picked it up a lot and near the end, I had to force myself to keep going at a slower pace. I eat a lot of carbs these days. It is difficult to keep my weight up where I want it. In todays run alone I burned over 1500 calories. For the first time, I consumed more than a pint of water during the run. I am considering changing to Gatoraid in at least one of the pint bottles that I carry with me. I'm confident that Jeff will catch up with me. He started in better shape than I did when I began. However, he must run and run many times to be ready for the half marathon.