This is week 9 of half marathon training for the Honor Run Half Marathon in Florence, KY on November 11, 2018 – 3 weeks left! I’m using Hal Higdon’s Advanced program for this one. If you want to register for this race, use this link, and try using code “BIBRAVE15” for $15 off, courtesy of the fine people of and affiliated with BibRave (note that the link IS an affiliate link, the BibRave code is just one I’ve seen on Twitter).
This is an easier week because it’s a “race” week, which is really more of a mock race – all the intensity of a race with none of the crowd, support, finish line, medal, or beer.
Monday: Intervals – 5 x 0.5 miles at 10k pace. Ran in the park and all… Wore my heart rate monitor this time, which really doesn’t tell me much because I don’t use it. The interval times were 3:45, 3:44, 3:45, 3:41, and 3:31 (that last one was where I was trying to get to my max heart rate). It seemed like it would be rainy and I was prepared for it, but it didn’t really rain on me while running (just during the commute in). Overall, 6 miles in 48:58 (8:10 pace).
Tuesday: Recovery Run – 3 miles + 7 strides. IT WAS COLD! The temperature was around 40 in the morning. Ran across the Purple People Bridge and back across the Suspension Bridge, ending with 7 strides as I ran into the park. 4.1 miles in 34:29 (8:25 min/mile pace).
Wednesday: Tempo Run – 30 minutes. Ran the normal Friendship park through the parks and past the Bengal’s Practice Field and back. Covered 3.93 in the tempo portion for a pace of 7:38 min/mile, and I didn’t feel drained at the end. Overall, 5.43 miles in 42:47 (7:53 min/mile pace).
Thursday: “Rest” Day. So I’m supposed to rest. But I have this thing…
While I hate the thing, it is easiest for me to take a little jog in the park in the morning to get my intensity goal in (3,000 steps in 30 minutes), and that also puts me in a good position for my tenacity goal (10,000 steps in the day) and knocks of one of the frequency goals (6 x 500 steps in 7 minutes). Honestly, I think this entire thing is bullshit and the insurance plan it’s matched up to (United “All Savers”) sucks horribly. Anyway, it was COLD, like 34F cold (that’s like 1C for the rest of the world), but I ran an easy 3.13 miles in 26:24 (8:26 min/mile pace).
Also on Today, I resigned from my job. I was supposed to have tacos for dinner, and while getting some tortilla chips and salsa and forgetting to buy boneless chicken breasts for another meal, I found two bottles of Founders CBS. It was a good day.
Friday: 15k Mock Race. Ran 9.32 miles starting in the park and out around the Bengal’s Practice Field. Then up the hill around Paul Brown Stadium, across the Clay Wade Bailey Bridge, through Covington where I yelled at someone for not using a leash, and then back across the Purple People Bridge. 9.32 miles in 1:11:40 (7:41 min/mile pace).
Saturday: Recovery Run. Ran just over 3 miles in the neighborhood. Weather was a bit warmer than the past few days. 3.03 miles in 25:25 (8:23 min/mile pace).
Overall, that’s 31 miles for the week. It’s a pull-back from the prior week, but next week will be back up to major miles.