A few months ago, I signed up for the Austin 3M Half so that I could visit Gabby in her new adopted city, which I have never been to in my previous trip to Texas.  It just so happens that the 3M Half is famous for its downhill course profile and is a great PR opportunity. Also, NYC is freezing in January and Austin is not. Sold!

I’m using Kara Goucher’s 10 Week Half Marathon Training Plan and am excited to try some of the midweek speed workouts. I’m hoping to nestle myself somewhere in between Plan A (lower mileage) and Plan B, depending on time crunches and the holidays. I’m shooting for sub-1:55 as my A goal, but I might adjust that if the race pace miles are elusive. Stay tuned!

Week 1 (11/13-11/19) of the 10-week training began two days after the Richmond Marathon. I did not begin. I only did a 5-mile shuffle that first week, skipped the long run due to travel plans, then got a nasty cold.

Week 2 (11/20-11/26) was mostly spent with said cold, so I finally tried to run again that weekend, putting in 13 miles.

Week 3 (11/27-12/3) found me excited to run again and also curious to see what speed benefits my aerobic base had brought me. Jackpot! I hit a pace PR at Mile High Run Club’s The Distance on Monday, had a fast 4-mile morning fartlek Wednesday, some easy treadmill miles Thursday, an 8.2 mile long run Saturday, and a 7.3 mile recovery run Sunday. I’m now on track with the recommended mileage for the training plan (27.5 out of 27 miles) and excited to put in some race-pace miles in the coming weeks.