Iiiiiiiiiiiiiiits TAPER WEEK! This is the last week of half marathon training for the Honor Run Half Marathon in Florence, KY on November 11, 2018! I’m using Hal Higdon’s Advanced program for this one. If you’re reading this hot off the digital press, I should be an hour into the race.
Next after the Honor Run is the Cincinnati Hungry Turkey Half on November 24, 2018, use this link to sign up for that race (again, affiliate link).
Monday: Intervals – 6 x 0.25 @ 5k pace. Despite getting back in from Portland at 1:00 AM local time AND having my clock radio set for 4:00 AM instead of 4:45 AM, I made it up and out the door at my normal time. Ran in the park and around the small Bengals Practice Field loop and back, extending the run an extra half mile because I was a ways away from where I needed to end up. It was drizzling for a while, but otherwise mild weather. Splits were 1:47, 1:46, 1:45, 1:45, 1:47, and 1:46; the goal was 1:51 – 1:55. Overall, 5 miles in 41:24 (8:16 min/mile pace).
Tuesday: Recovery. Ran across the Purple People Bridge and back across the Taylor Southgate Bridge. It was warm, sunny, and so windy I took my hat off and carried it for most of the run. Seemed odd to run only two miles, but that’s what I did. 2.03 miles in 16:46 (8:16 min/mile pace… consistent with yesterday).
Wednesday: 30 Minute Tempo Run. Ran out around the Bengal’s Practice Field and then back across the parks and into Friendship Park and back. The tempo distance was an exact-ish 4.00 miles (actually, backsolving the pace, it appears I went 3.995 miles), for a pace of 7:30 or 7:31 minutes per mile (depends on what part of my watch you believe). Overall, 5.5 miles in 43:01 for a 7:50 (or 7:51) minute per mile pace.
Thursday: Recovery. Ran 3 miles across the Purple People Bridge and then back across the Suspension Bridge. It was a cold one (not a beer, the day). While turning from the Newport Floodwall path to the sidewalk across the Veteran’s Bridge, I clipped a pole and knocked the band off one side of my step tracker. It fortunately got stuck in the sleeve of my shirt, but I had to stop to fix it (because it seems there’s a high likelihood that I’d lose it to the Licking River if I didn’t). My pacing was also pretty odd for this one – 9:04, 8:58, 8:12. I kept it easy, though. Total 3.26 miles in 28:22 (8:43 min/mile pace).
Friday: Recovery/Shake off. Ran 2 miles in the park between rains. Some walker tried to scare me (I think), it didn’t work. I guess since I expected him to be stupid (he had been walking in the middle of the path and moved to the right rather slowly), I was ready for anything. It was drizzling during the last half mile or so, and the rain picked up as I was on my last few stretches. A whopping 2.05 miles in 17:09 (8:22 min/mile pace).
Saturday: Rest.
Sunday: RACE!