Less than five weeks til the Half Marathon! I received my bib number (#3516) and timing chip in the mail this week. EXCITEMENT. My training has been going well. I mentioned last week that I had a slight speed increase, and that seems to have stuck around. On Sunday I did my longest run in nearly two years: 19km (12 miles)! That one was slow and steady, but it was also on a very warm and sunny day. Yesterday’s run was on a much cooler morning, and I found my pace naturally picked up a bit. I also managed two workouts at Spudds this week that have left my abs feeling beat-up. In terms of actual injuries, my right arch continues to improve. I had some foot stiffness and pain after the long run, but it was actually towards the outside of my foot (where the bone scan had previously shown some inflammation). I’ve been putting anti-inflammatory gel on that and I’ll probably ice it too. I’ve still got one long run to go two weeks before the race: 22.5km (14 miles). That will actually be my longest run EVER! But I’ve got two recovery/speed weeks in the meantime…

April 9: 6.02km
April 11: 19.02km
April 14: 5.83km
Total this week: 30.87km (19.3mi)
Total in 2010: 312.48km (195.3mi)

To meet my goal of running 1000km in 2010, I should be at 288.5km right now. So I’ve built up another cushion!

One thing that’s worrying me is that I’ve entered the Sickness Danger Zone. With both of my previous half-marathons, I’ve caught colds a few weeks out from the race. It’s been really frustrating. I’d speculate that the training is causing me to become a little immuno-compromised. So here I am once again, and this morning the Snook tells me he’s got a sore throat. ACK. How do I keep from getting sick? Obviously sleep and being hydrated are important, so I’m working on those. Is it worth taking any extra vitamins? (I’m guessing it’ll probably only be a placebo at best.) Our office flu shot is coming up. Should I get it? I know it’s not supposed to make you sick, but maybe I’m a little more vulnerable than usual right now? And this paranoia isn’t helping…

How to Run the Boston Marathon (PDF). Great tips for any distance race about finding the sweet spot that will allow you to finish with power and speed.

“Controlling Competitive Running Instincts.” Interesting. I don’t really have that problem; I don’t mind at all if somebody passes me on a training run. Any men want to weigh in?

One of my friends lives on my regular morning run route, and I ran into her this morning (as I often do). She said she was so impressed with how I’m always out there. I laughed it off, but it sort of resonated with me the rest of the run. I don’t think I’m doing anything amazing. I go on two runs a week before work, and I do one long run a weekend. I also try to do at least one cross-training class a week (which is convenient since my work sponsors them). How do I do all that? I just put on my shoes and do it. There’s nothing really magical or admirable about it. I really can’t put it any better than the other Kris did yesterday: “It’s just a decision.” So if you’ve been tempted to get out there, just do it. Don’t procrastinate, and don’t overthink. Just decide and do it.

That said, I will give one big tip that helps a LOT with not skipping workouts: have plenty of workout clothes. When I started out, I only had a couple sports bras and shorts to run in. It was easy to slip up on laundry and think, “Whoops! Guess I can’t run today.” I made a concerted effort to build up my store of running gear, and now I can’t use that as an excuse anymore.

I noticed recently that my 45-minute morning runs have been feeling easy. I think I’ve been concentrating so hard on gently recovering my fitness (after two weeks off for injury and illness in February) that I didn’t realise when I had reached it. My pace had been dropping regularly but now it’s levelled out. My foot’s been feeling good. After my run last Wednesday, I hopped in the shower and realised that I didn’t feel winded at all. In fact, I couldn’t tell that I had just been on a run. “That’s probably not good,” I thought. “Am I falling into the dreaded junk miles trap?” I decided to shake things up. For Friday’s run, I pushed myself to see how fast I could go without too much discomfort. I also threw in a couple cadence drills for fun. To my surprise, I knocked nearly a minute off my pace per kilometer. I could definitely feel the effort afterwards, and I was even a little sore the next day. It felt good. On Sunday, Eileen and I went for a run in Canberra with a view towards doing some speed intervals. Again, this was definitely pushing me out of my comfort zone. I gave myself a few days to recover, then went out for my normal run yesterday. I ran the whole thing at what I considered to be a comfortable pace, and afterwards I discovered I was still 30s/km faster than I was during my “junk” runs. Obviously I can run at this faster pace, but I just needed to prove to myself that I could!

April 2: 5.42km
April 4: 6.06km
April 7: 5.81km
Total this week: 17.29km (10.8mi)
Total in 2010: 281.61km (176mi)

To meet my goal of running 1000km in 2010, I should be at 269km right now. So I’m still ahead of schedule. This weekend will see me doing my second-longest run of my entire half-marathon training plan: 19 kilometers (12 miles). That’s only just shy of the actual race distance! Wish me luck…

This week saw my longest run yet: a scheduled 16km (10 mile) run on Sunday. I headed to Centennial Park as usual and managed 2.5 laps around. I did 2:1 run/walk ratio the whole way, and it was fantastic. I felt much better than I did the previous week (where I did 3:1 for 13km). My legs didn’t cramp and my overall average was actually faster! I was having some stomach pain though, and somehow I managed to lose one of my water belt bottles. Still, I got it done. This week is a cutback week, which I’ve been looking forward to.

Mar. 27: 5.34km
Mar. 28: 16.72km
Mar. 31: 5.35km
Total this week: 27.41km (17mi)
Total in 2010: 264.32km (165mi)

We are officially one-quarter of the way through the year, which means I should be at 250km to meet my 1000km goal. Looks like I’m about 14km ahead of pace. Woooo!

The long-awaited fifth episode of the Geek Girl Runner podcast is now available! Sorry about taking so long. (I explain what I’ve been up to in the meantime in the show.) This one is particularly interesting in that I recorded the whole thing in a single take! Extemporaneous speaking FTW. Thanks again to everyone who’s been sending in feedback. This episode features: my training update; emails, comments, and shoutouts; and a small rant about whether podcasts are, in fact, a vanity project. (Spoiler: OF COURSE THEY ARE.)

Show links:
Sydney Royal Easter Show
Sydney Half-Marathon
Mother’s Day Classic – join the Geek Girl Runner team!
Triathlon Mind Training – podcast and blog by Ironmanjay
Crazy Floridian – blog of Adam Culp
CORSO LA META – podcast and blog by Jimbo_W
You Don’t Have to Run Alone – podcast by Ted Beveridge
Phedippidations – podcast by Steve Runner

Thanks as usual to Nick Arthur for the use of his song “Little Donut Party”. Please give me some feedback and let me know what you think!