Quote Originally Posted by indigoiis View Post
I have a half on the same day! I haven't tried the actual whole thirteen though. My plan calls for ten miles on Sunday... I think I am about the same pace as you. I am a little nervous about going ten but I am just going to take it easy and enjoy it!
Good plan!

The first time I ran 10 miles it felt like I'd crossed this huge barrier! After that, my confidence really soared. I know it's just a number, but there's something about breaking into those double digits that felt really significant to me.

My friend Angela, a very accomplished runner, told me I'll be the most over-prepared half-marathoner ever. I've been training for this for a year. My long run got one mile longer each month, and so I'd have 4 (ok, sometimes only 3 ) long runs of the same distance each month. I know most people ramp up their distance and mileage much more quickly than I did, but this slow buildup really worked for me, especially since a) I really didn't run much before and b) I was losing weight at the same time.

Just as in cycling where you don't really need to ride 100 miles before doing your first century ride with a group, I think running is the same way. Most of my friends who've run marathons didn't run longer than 20-22 miles before event day. So, I think you'll do just fine.

I think from here forward I'm going to start to taper down a bit. Probably just do 9-10 on my long run next week, with a really easy week the next leading up to event day. I can hardly believe the 18th is just around the corner!