Update soon! I promise.

Busy bee lately. Update on things is forthcoming as I go into three weeks out before my first race of the season. :)

Tiny breakthroughs

If you've ever been stuck in a training rut you'll appreciate where I'm coming from.  After two years of being stuck at the same running pace, I'm making good progress in the right direction to getting a teeny tiny bit faster.

The United Healthcare half marathon was last Sunday and I had trained for this particular distance for the first time ever.  Actual training with speed work and tempo runs, the whole thing.  To top it all off, I followed it pretty well.  I made no excuses and I'm happy to say I got some good results.

I had a great race Sunday and managed to clock a 1:44 (7:59 min/mile average pace) taking six minutes off my previous half marathon time on the same race (similar course).  So my "Let's Get Faster in 2012" plan is working and I'm looking forward into going into my first half ironman with this run base and speed that I've built training for this race.

It feels nice to make a good training decision picking the half marathon over the marathon.  Now instead of a solid week's worth of recovery from a marathon  I was off for a day and back on the bike yesterday doing some hard intervals.

I also got to do my first race in my Eleonore Rocks colors and with my Infinit.  Both worked out really well.  Pictured above is my Kestrel/Eleonore Rocks race singlet I made with iron on transfers until my kits come sometime soon.  Even though it was a little arts and craftsy and had nothing to do with my cycling ability on the Kestrel end I was still super proud to be able to wear it.

I'm looking at doing a half ironman a month and a half marathon a month until the full ironman at Cedar Point in September.  Lofty I think, but necessary.  By November when I plan the run the Amica Newport half marathon where I want (ok need) my time to be well south of 1:40.  New goal, more training.  Now it's time to switch over my run focused training and start tempering it with get faster bike workouts, which will be great to stop the pounding on my feet and legs for a bit.