Me: “I’m going to take my current weekly mileage and add just 3 miles each week for four weeks to build to the perfect starting point for Kara Goucher’s 10 Week Half Marathon training plan by March 12 (10 weeks out from Brooklyn Half).”

Also me: Hates running in snow and slush, loves sleeping in, prone to AM intestinal distress and lethargy, traveled to Boston during a Noreaster, underwent personal tragedy in early March.

After 3 very down weeks in January and February, I did indeed start a slow, safe build-up to the high 20’s/low 30’s from the very low 20’s. There were some mild aches and pains, and I was convinced that my sore foot meant I had Morton’s Neuroma. I missed a run here and there on the 5x/week plan, but am feeling good overall.

I’m still looking for a March 5K and April 10K as tune-ups. I had originally thought about racing another Half Marathon in March, but they kind of snuck up on me and my long run mileage is only around 7 miles. Why try to race one when I’m not happy with my volume yet? Speedwork has been going well and I’m seeing lower times on the treadmill and around the park, though I’m keeping my easy pace well into the 10:xx range. I’m also cross-training decently at the gym and with coworkers. I can now do full-body pushups with good form! Not many, but a few.

2/19 – 2/25: 24.8 miles. I raced the Al Gordon 4 Miler which was my first NYRR race ever back in 2015. I got a PR of 33:47 (8:27 pace per mile) but had very uneven pacing. Super slow first mile up the hill, too-fast miles 2 and 3 down the hill, then a struggling final mile over the mini hill to the finish on Center Drive. Looking at my hill grade adjusted paces below though, I guess it wasn’t so bad after all.

2/26 – 3/4: 25.6 miles, including Mile High Run Club’s The Distance and a run around Boston. The Noreaster largely kept me confined to the hotel gym, but the treadmills there had video footage of running around New Zealand and Hawaii, so I stayed fairly entertained. I was hoping for a run along the Charles River or to do Jamaica Pond’s Parkrun, but the latter was cancelled due to the wind and rain. I got to run along the Muddy River and Boston Common on Saturday morning with friends and end at the Tracksmith store. I was too sweaty to try anything on, though.

3/5 – 3/11: 15.8 miles. Ah yes, the week where my chickens came home to roost, in terms of life things and grief and puking my guts out. Managed to get in some easy Prospect Park loops and a few on the treadmill when I couldn’t stand the winds, but no long runs.

also there was snow. I did do PPTC’s International Women’s Day Run but skipped the post-run food in favor of getting groceries.