Week 2 is in the books....

This week starts the real challenge as I take my long run to 12 miles, a distance I haven't come close to running since the Greer Earth Day Half Marathon. I was pleased that I kept a steady pace on the nine mile run yesterday, though I will likely need to slow down another 10-15 seconds per mile for this week. Today is the first day I really feel like I need the rest of a rest day. I could run, but I am not upset that I don't have one scheduled.

I do go to Furman for a gait study this evening. That should be interesting. I had a friend get his results a couple of weeks ago and he has made some changes to his form and seems to be benefiting from them. I hope I get the same results.

I think I have decided to avoid any races between now and the marathon, with the likely exception of the BMW 2 Miler. Races, even 5K's, take a bigger toll on me than I realized early on. I don't think I need to stick a race in the day before my long run. I am really working hard to being totally committed to my training schedule. There is an article in Running Times this month about long runs and how 'over running' your goal distance in training can help psychologically. I may see if I can fit that into my plan.