St. George Half Marathon

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The St. George Half Marathon is January 16, 2015.

I'm preparing for a road half as a qualifier for the Pike Ascent so I have a time deadline to beat. Right now that's 2:25:00 which isn't all that fast, and I have done it previously, just not within the last two years.

Treadmill Pace Run

It's really odd to be training for a road half in the winter in Utah. I've been doing quite a bit of treadmill and road work. I'll need to maintain a 10:40 pace average while moving, to allow a few minutes here and there at aid stations and to allow a cushion for the Pike Marathon organization, which has a tendency to slide that qualifying time around to suit the most recent wave of DNF's.

I've done a 10 mile run at pace, 10:34 in this shot from Strava. It's mostly downhill, but is a proof of concept about 3 months out. One consideration is that at my height and weight and age, it's quite a bit of pounding on the old joints to run this far on pavement. Another is that I've had to endure a few injuries over the past few years since my year of big running in 2011. Since then I've had to slow down and take it quite a bit easier.

Running on the rec path. Training for my Half.

Now I need to reverse that trend and move for more speed more smoothly more consistently. At least to qualify for this one. Then I need to get back on the trails and work on my vertical. You have to adjust your training for your most immediate goals. For now, it's a faster half marathon.