Operation Sub-2:00 Half-Marathon

I forgot to mention one important detail about this week:  I start training for my next set of races! Whooo!  (I’ll admit that I’m excited most by getting to look at another colorful spreadsheet for a couple of months.)

I mentioned in my 2011 Round-Up that one of my goals for this year is to run a half-marathon in under two hours.  I set this goal twice last year – first in advance of the Rock ‘n’ Roll half in Virginia Beach and, when I failed, before the Baltimore Half.  I failed to achieve that goal at both races, and, after, my mind was filled with thoughts of how I probably could have run a sub-2:00 race if I’d done X, Y, and Z during training, ate better before the race, and had run through a few water stops to save time (and spill water all over myself because I only mastered the “Drinking while running” move in Philly).

I surprised myself a bit in Baltimore, though, by running a 2:05 even with all of the hills on the course.  If I focus on strength and speed this time around, I should be prepared to run a sub-2:00 half marathon in March at the Rock ‘n’ Roll USA Half.

My long run mileage peaks at 18 miles before the race, and I’ll be working in speed workouts and two-a-days (with which I experimented last month and it wasn’t as bad as it sounds…as long as only one of those workouts is a hard run).  

This is what I have for Week 1:

Sunday: 3.5 Miles (Accompanied by the men pounding in my head post-New Year’s Eve)

Monday: Stretching, cross-training, and lifting session (Originally planned as a rest day)

Tuesday: Intervals, 40 minutes

Wednesday: 4 miles

Thursday: Tempo Run, 50 minutes and Strength

Friday: Rest

Saturday: 13 miles