I have to say, this week went better than the last, but it was also a planned easy week. Instead of a super long run on Saturday, I ran a quick 4 miles with one of those miles at the magic mile pace. What is the magic mile? Well, to be completely honest, I don’t understand all that well and I’m sure I’m not doing it correctly. I’m following a training plan by Jeff Galloway, and he uses the magic mile to predict what your race pace should be for each distance (5k, 10k, half marathon, full marathon, etc.). He has a method for finding out your magic mile using a track. I do have access to a track now that the junior high up the road is closed for the summer, but I haven’t made it up there to figure out what my magic mile is. So I improvised by just running hard for that one mile (something a little less than a sprint). It actually felt really great, and I was able to run the remaining miles without pain or struggle. I do feel like I’m getting stronger, and slightly faster, so that’s encouraging.

My mid-week runs went well also. My right knee still feels a teensy bit aggravated, so I’m keeping an eye on that. I borrowed a different kind of knee brace from a friend and I’m going to see if it helps any more than the one I’ve been using. I’m also doing a lot of squats and step exercises to try to get those muscles stronger.

This training plan is a little different than the one I followed in 2021 for my first marathon. The mid-week runs are based on time, not distance, so I’m actually running more miles during the week than last time, and I kind of like that. I feel like it is more of a gradual build-up of miles this way, and I think that may be a safer way for these legs of mine to build the necessary endurance.

This week I saw a total of 6 bunnies on my runs: one on Tuesday, one on Saturday, and 4 on Thursday! Also, while I was out chasing rabbits I managed to log 13.33 miles, leaving me with 72.28 total training miles (or 265.28 if you’re including my half marathon training). Next week I’ll be running 15 miles on Saturday so wish me luck! I’m super nervous but I’m going to do my best to trust the training and just enjoy myself out there.