He's racing and pacing and plotting the course

So here's the deal:

I ran 10 miles yesterday. My knees feel like they now lack cartilage, ligaments and tendons, and, instead, are filled with jelly. Don't be alarmed. The same thing happened last week after I ran nine miles. Things returned to normal with a day or two, and I was fine.

The half-marathon is now less than a week away. Incredible. I started training in the beginning of August, and I remember struggling to get through that first three-mile run. Well, not really struggling -- I could definitely complete it. But I walked more than I wanted to, and I took longer that I hoped.

And yesterday I finished 10 miles in 115 minutes. I'm slower than a 10-minute mile pace, but I don't feel too badly about that because on the usual three-mile trails I run, at least a mile of it is straight up hill -- steep hills, too -- which means probably close to 3.5 miles of the 10 I ran on Sunday was all up hill.

So I feel good heading into the race on Sunday. It's my first (and doesn't saying "my first" clearly imply the presence of a "second"? I'm not sure I'm ready to think about this yet, *sigh), and I've read it's not a good idea to set up a strict time goal for your first. With that said, I really want to finish in 2.5 hours. Obviously, I'd love to be faster than that, but let's be realistic. Before this training, the most I'd ever run with any regularity was between two and three miles.

I'm excited though. The past few weeks of long runs really showed me I could actually do it, so that was nice.

This week though, rest. I don't care if the training calls for four-mile, three-mile and two-mile runs this week. NOT GONNA DO IT. Wouldn't be prudent at this juncture.

I'd rather my legs and knees be fresh for Sunday, so I will be doing my usual twice- to three-times-a-week strength training and plenty of stretching and icing -- just in case.

Less than a week to go, and I'm pumped! LET'S GO!