1/2 Marathon Training: Week 11

Week 11 went much better than week 10. I'm still not 100% over this darn cold, but I managed to fit in most of my runs and most importantly completed the final long run - 10 miles! At the beginning of this process I could not imagine running 4 miles let alone 10. It was challenging but I did it and I was pretty happy with how I did and my time. I was able to run 8.5 miles before needing to walk briefly up a hill. It was a great practice run for the big day - this Sunday! I was able to see how my body will feel during and after such a long distance. Even though I will have another 3.1 miles on Sunday, I have read that the adrenaline really kicks in at the end and will carry you through. The one thing that I did learn is that refueling during the run is really important as well as drinking water. I did not have a water bottle with me (thank goodness there were water fountains in the park!) or any type of snack (i.e GU gel) and both will be essential during the 1/2 marathon. The good thing is that both will be available at stations throughout the race course.

It really is amazing how far I have come in the past 11 weeks. The training program I used has been great and very manageable and I would recommend it to anyone thinking about training for a half marathon. This week I'll be tapering and getting myself mentally and physically ready for Sunday - I'll have to lay off all that Halloween candy I bought last week ;) I'm nervous about the race, but I'm getting excited and feeling confident that I will do well and maybe even meet my goal time. Wish me luck!