Looked at your log. Seems like you just did 3.5 miles on the treadmill yesterday. How fast was this? Part of it is you are just getting used to the longer distances. Like anything else, the more you do it, the easier it gets. If you ran hard on the treadmill yesterday this could also cause it. Other factors for crappy runs could be poor hydration or not enough carbs. Are you drinking enough on your long runs? Even in the cooler weather I'm still drinking at least a 20oz bottle of water for a 6-8 mile run - that's on top of staying well hydrated throughout the day (for me that's 1 to 1.5 gallons of water). Have you been trying gels or maybe some gatorade or other carbs? Also I noticed that you have the incline set as high as 6 on some of your shorter runs. You may, at least until the HM is behind you, adjust it down to 1% and leave it there and just get in your distance. Hill/speed workouts are tough on the legs - especially when you are starting out. The most important run you can do for the HM is the long run. Better to run the shorter runs easier to have more 'gas' for the long runs, in my opinion. One last thing. I looked at your most recent race (10k) on the McMillian Running Calculator. It shows your long run pace between 11:28 and 12:28 (with easy being 11:28 to 11:58). Sounds like you are right on target for now. I know it feels slow - but we've all been (or are) there. Trust me - if you keep running - you will get faster. Regarding the mental part - I know you will be sick of hearing this - it also comes with practice. When you get to the race there will be 10,000 other folks around you - this will go a LONG way to helping to pull you along. YOU CAN DO IT!

You're going to do great! A friend of mine recently ran her first HM and even though she had a rough few months of training leading up to the race she did really awesomely--only 5 minutes slower than my first HM time and her longest run had only been 10 miles. My longest run before my first HM was 13.5. So a lot can be said for not overdoing it, taking it easy when you need to, and letting the adrenaline carry you on race day. k