Back in the Bloggity

Now that the SHC and park soccer season is behind me, I can get back here more often. No promises, but still.

The half-marathon training is still going. Today I did 5 miles in 1:06:21.5. Not exactly blazing speed, but I guess it'll do for now. My next goal is to get my five-mile time under 1 hour.

I ran in the Elkton 5K on Saturday, finishing in 37:39, good for second in the 35-39 age group.

Two. Why do you ask?

I'm finding that distance running is not so much about physical endurance or stamina as it is about will. The physical slog is one thing, but for me the mental side is what's really hard. By November 7, I need the mental and emotional stamina to put up with running pain for 2 1/2 to 3 hours. Today I was able to sustain race pace for right at 30 minutes.

I'm also finding that a mixture of hard running and recovery walking works much better for me than straight jogging. That's probably a soccer thing; center refereeing requires more "sprint and stop" than "steady run." I don't know if that's what the professional trainers recommend, but it works for me, so there you go.