Half Marathon Training

I am having so much fun being a run leader for a half marathon group training for the Route 66 half marathon that will take place in Tulsa in November. I named the group "The Optimists: We're half full".



As my blog title indicates, I really believe that getting through an event is 80% mental. I am truly trying to inspire through the power of positive thinking during runs. It has helped me tremendously. I battle the mental monster in many different aspects of life. I am trying to take control of my mental state during runs. The people that make up The Optimists have been wonderful!



I am continuing to work on my interval running. It is still working quite well for me. I have been able to keep my average pace under the 12:30/mile for the majority of my runs. I am hoping to be at a really solid 3/1 or 4/1 (run/walk) interval setup for the fall half marathons. I have had several of the Optimists join me in my interval running on Saturday mornings and it has been quite nice to have the company. It has been so humid that running has been quite a chore. We are going from days of feeling like this:



To having days that feel like this:



I am definitely having more Homer days than the eager beaver runner. However, I have been doing this running thing long enough that I know that to run through this awful summer heat and humidity has a payoff in the fall when things cool off and the humidity dissipates. It has been very important to hydrate with plenty of water. I have been a diligent run leader and make sure that I encourage everyone to stop at all the water stops along our routes.



We are starting to incorporate some hills into our Saturday routes. I have actually found the challenge of them fun and exciting. I think it is partly due to the fact that I am still in a good running place. So even if the hills seem like this:



Remember that it still just takes one step at a time to get to the top of the hill. Of course anyone that wants to use my method of conquering the hills is welcome...I like to chant (sometimes aloud and sometimes in my head) "I love the hills they work my butt"! It makes me smile and keep on moving forward.

I have 3 half marathons planned for this fall, and hope that they will all be at a 2:45 time or better. The first one will be in Nashville, TN: the Womens' half marathon on September 25th. So my training will continue and I hope that it will continue to be fun and successful