Daytona Half

I have to be pleased with my Daytona time of 2:00:42 (but I can't help feeling disappointed not to beat 2 hours having gone through 10 in 90 minutes). It was a great event and I'm glad I signed up for it. My training was nowhere near enough for a Half so my time was quite remarkable and I guess it was my experience that got me through plus I actually managed to make myself go easy at the start. The strategy of running using Kilometer splits paid off I think. When I saw 5:00 for the first split I knew I needed to slow up a bit and when I saw the 5:40 at 2K I knew I needed to just speed up a little. If I had waited for mile splits I think I would have beaten 8:00 for the first mile which could have been a problem.

Of course, I still died badly in the last 3 miles but I don't think I slowed near as much as I did in the 2 Half's from last season. Considering I only ran about 50 miles in the previous 30 days and my longest run was 6.5 miles I think 2 hours was a good effort and certainly indicates beating 1:50 at Deleon Springs would be a valid target.

In the immediate future, I think I will give the White Cane 5K a miss this weekend. I doubt that my legs will be sufficiently recovered for an effective 5K plus I think it is more important to train than to race in the lead up to the Thanksgiving Day 10. I need to consider the target for the 10 and I am thinking the aim will merely be a repeat of last year's time of 1:24 or maybe slightly quicker). The more important target for me this season is the Deleon Springs Half on January 4. I really would like to break 1:50 this year.

For now the plan is to gently increase mileage up to around 30 miles per week. Hopefully, I can stay healthy in 2009 and if so, I will be shooting for a Marathon in 2010 (Miami?).