The fall racing season

It is going to be an interesting cycle. After two months of very little running, I'm about to start marathon training again. I mapped out my schedule (a Pfitz 12-weeker), which starts August 30 and culminates with the Philadelphia Marathon on November 22. I have one, possibly two half marathons planned in the interim.

And that's about all I really know. I don't know about goals, and I certainly don't know what to expect. With my current fitness, even the first week of the schedule is going to be challenging. I am fully prepared to modify it, and I will probably have to.

I do have one hopeful sign, which I'm clinging to for dear life. The Red Eye Relay went unexpectedly well for me; in fact, I had a pace PR. Last year (on a solid base) I averaged about 8:00/mile, and fell apart during the last leg. This year (on a shaky base, after barely making it through a 9-mile trail run just a week before), I ran strongly on all three legs and finished with a 7:54/mile average. Since then, I still had two very low-mileage weeks, but have since picked the ball back up.

I believe I needed some time off physically and mentally to recuperate from what was basically a two-year push to BQ. Maybe I'm just well-rested? Time will tell. I think I'm going to run the Capital City River Run Half Marathon in late September to tell me how I'm doing.