I'll get September Started for us! Two Weeks from Saturday is my Half. The Big Scary Hilly Course of Doom. Suffice it to say, I am praying more than ever for a relatively pain free experience, and a finish. Notice that I said " Finish" not GREAT finish.. We have had low ( ssshhh ) Humidity the last two mornings. The result? I ran this morning at a nice comfy pace and realized that I was running about 1.5 minutes faster than I have all Summer. Man it felt good too! My shins and calves are pretty achey, I have another High Intensity Massage scheduled for Friday, so I am looking forward to getting the knots worked out. Happy September, and Fall is Finally on the way!

Good afternoon all!! Hope everyone is doing well, and moving along with their training. Good luck in your upcoming half, Cheffy...we all know you'll do great!! Well, just recovering here after my half marathon on Sunday (did the Virginia Beach Rock & Roll Half). My goal going in there was to break 2 hours. My PR for a half is 2:05:09 on a hilly course, and VB is a flat course. Well, unfortunately it was hot & humid Sunday, so I ended up doing it in 2:20:13 (at least I finished…so I am happy with that). I did an easy 3 miler yesterday morning and it felt good to “shake the legs out”. My legs actually felt pretty good. This morning it was a moderate 5 miler…and my legs are a tad achy…but they’ll heal up soon. It's still hot in the mornings here in TN (this morning was 70 degrees and humid), can't wait for the cooler weather (and hopefully quicker times). My next half marathon is next month…called the Middle Half (half marathon in middle Tennessee). It’s a flat course too, and it should be cooler…so I hope to break 2 hours in that one. Even though I’m doing that one…I’m considering myself in “marathon training mode”, as I training to do the Huntsville full marathon in December. After that, I’m planning on just doing half marathons (I’ve got a whole list of half’s that I want to do). My goal would be to do a half in each of the 50 states (4 down…46 more to go). Although a full marathon here and there won’t be out of the question. Take care everyone, and run safely!!

Tough day, Jason! I hope you have a better one at the Toronto Half, i will be there myself, but with so many runners its hard to find someone you have never met before.. Simon.

Ahh, I am SO FREAKING ENVIOUS of all you northern folk who have started the Fall Cool Down!! Really hot afternoons persist here, but the mornings are starting to feel much more agreeable, and you can smell a difference in the air...... Come on Baby......

The cool weather is not in Maine today. It was 65 when we started our 10.6-mile run today, but 81 when we finished at 10 am! What the heck? Running Partner got dehydrated, and she had a horrible run. I told her at least she will never make that mistake again! Cheffy, I'm with you. I just want to finish! I figure I can push more next year. I want this to be fun so I'm not scared to try again. I have a question for you pros - for newbies such as myself, what kind of break should we take after the race? Several days off, or not? How many miles at a time? Thanks for your advice! Teresa

MrPH~ I asked this question to the Lady Runners in the Locker Room, but I want to get some Guy Input too. What do you generally eat the days that lead up to the Half? I know you probably don't need to carb load per se, but Since I am looking for any help I can get, What would your eating look like say about 3-4 days before the race and leading up to Race Morning? Speaking of heat.....93 degrees right now. Sucks

Cheffy ... I really don't do anything special leading up to the race. I'll eat familiar foods, those that don't cause any bowel issues, etc. I eat normal the day before, being careful not to over eat. Race morning something like a bagel and banana is what I'll have. I eat a couple of hours before the race. I don't bother with gels or any of that stuff during the race. The key is sticking with a familiar routine .... and not springing any surprises on your digestive system. I think all of the carb loading stuff pertains to longer races like the marathon.

Hi, everyone. Boy, I'd love some cooler temperatures down here, or at least some relief from the humidity. It's been tough lately. And the tropical systems lined up like buses doesn't help any . . . I tell ya, living on a state that sticks out into the middle of the warm ocean . . . who thought that was a good idea? I did my tempo run on Tuesday, hitting 6 mi at pretty close to goal HM pace (8:58 avg) and I figure if I can do that in early September I can do it in November, even if the average Ft Lauderdale temperature is a balmy 73. Few weeks left to find out. Did 9 on Wednesday, 9 today, long run scheduled Saturday if the weather holds up. They're saying Hanna will stay well off shore and may actually bring us cooler temps. We'll have to see what Hurricane Ike does next week. I've only done one half, Teresa, but I found it true that what makes it a great distance is that even if you race it and give it your all, it really doesn't beat you up very much. At least it didn't me, but you have to remember that I race in a flat-as-pancake-state. You can check my log in February of this year: I was back to my normal mileage pretty soon after, and did 10 miles about three weeks later. But like MrPH The Wise said, it's about how you feel. Knowing what I know now, I'm not sure I'll be running intervals the week after this half, but it's interesting that I felt good enough to do it. Cheffy, with the consistency of your long runs and the rest of your training, you are going to be in great shape. I hope you enjoy the whole race experience: the crowd, and the starting gun, and the sound of footfalls all around you. Running, and racing, are fun, but what makes long training like this so worthwhile is the entire day's experience. When you're standing at the starting line, tell yourself, "It's just another long run." Then go out and have a blast! Remember, that hill i's just a funny little speed bump. It's not gonna defeat you, Sandy! You've trained for this race and you're gonna be FANTASTIC! I can't wait for that race report. (And I'm thinking of you and praying Hanna . . . well, away from shore.)