Here we are, two weeks out from target race #1: the 13.1 Fort Lauderdale. This week, I booked the hotel Little G and I will be staying at the night before the race. It’s just two blocks from the start line. I also worked my little Hispanic bottom off this week–I’m willing to admit that, though I sit in my office chair exhausted and spent as the week draws to a close.

As you know if you’ve been keeping up, I ran long intervals (or “cruise intervals” as some call them) on Monday. On Tuesday I ran 6 miles. Instead of just running them easy I ran them progressively, starting at an easy 9:40 but picking the pace pretty quickly to a finishing 8:20. On Wednesday I ran an easy 6. On Thursday I went out for an easy 8 but ended up running the middle miles at tempo-ish pace, around 9:00. I took Friday as a rest day and then ran 18 today.

I was very slow today, probably a combination of the near 50-mile week, the quicker run just two days ago, and the fact that I only got about six hours of sleep yesterday and I’m a strict eight-hour girl. In spite of that, I’m thankful for the high-intensity week; after all, rule #5 states that the harder you work during training, the luckier you’ll get during races! I believe that, so I’m working as hard as I can, even in this unrelenting heat and humidity.

I’m prepared to work hard again next week, though I won’t put in another high-mileage long run until after the race.

Week in Review:
Sunday: URD
Monday: I9–4x 1½ mi @ 8:15; 1 mi each warm-up and cool-down (9:17 overall pace)
Tuesday: P7 in 1:03 (9:08 overall pace)
Wednesday: E 6 in 57:45 (9:38)
Thursday: T 8–6@9:00 (9:14 overall)
Friday: SRD
Saturday: L 18 in 2:53 (9:38 avg pace)
Miles per Week: 49

As I enter the home stretch before my target half, I can’t help but compare my training for the half last year to my training for this year’s race.

Last year, my highest mileage week came in September–not sure what that was about–and it was a 48-miler. This year I started at lower mileage, coming off an almost total training break, and was at about 25 miles per week when I started training. But I’ve had three weeks at 48 miles or near there. Last year, as I came to the start line of the 13.1, I’d run two 16-milers and one simulation half-marathon. This year I’ve run two 16s and two 18s, but no simulation races. Though I imagined that my average pace has been slower this year, the opposite is true–my average pace is actually faster this year than it was last year.

Nothing to it now but to race.