Great Week

I just finished up my best week of running so far. I capped off the 30 mile week on Sunday with my longest run to date - a 12 miler. I finished in 2:02:02, which I'm preatty happy with. I've got 7 full weeks until my half marathon and I think I'll be more than ready by then. I plan to get in some more speed workouts to hopefully bring my time down. I'd like to finish the half marathon under 2 hours but I've got a long way to go before that happens.

After my run on Sunday I took my first ice bath. Sitting in a tub full of cold icewater may not sound like fun, but after 12 long miles on the road it was pretty great. This probably sounds crazy to some, but ice baths are supposed to aid in muscle recovery. I really think it did the trick. I feel pretty good today and am only slightly sore in my calves and quads. I'll rest up today (fortunately my softball game was cancelled) and hit the road again tomorrow with a 4 mile run.

Besides speedwork, the other area of running I feel needs improvement is my mental focus. The last 2 miles of my long run weren't particulary hard on my body, but my mind was feeling pretty weak. I wasn't focused and let thoughts of quitting creap in. From everything I've read in books and the web, the mental preparation that takes place during long runs is just as important as the miles being run. Hopefully I can develop the ability to shut out those annoying thoughts and focus on the benefits of the long run.