I ran 15 miles on Sunday. The plan was to run middle 5 at half marathon pace. I decided to run to the bottom of Forbidden Drive from my house and then the length back up to Northwest at 6:20 pace followed by an easy 2.5 miles home.

I didn’t start running until 10:30 am but the day was relatively cool, especially compared to the last couple long runs, so I didn’t mind. I split the first couple miles on Forbidden Drive and although they felt like 7:50 pace my watch kept reading 7:20. I am not normally 30 seconds off on pacing and it was pleasant surprise and a good sign for the real workout ahead.

After 51 minutes and about 7 miles I was ready to hit the gas. I knew 5 miles at this pace was going to be difficult but if I could average under 6:30 pace I would call it a success. I don’t have my watch with me but the first split was in the 6:35-40 range and I was working. The second mile was no better and knew it was pointless. I struggled through a couple more but things just got worse. In fact, I was having a hard time even keeping up the 7:20 pace that was so easy just a few miles ago.

The 2.5 miles back to my house were tough, especially that climb up Rex. I refused to walk and ran at a comically slow pace. I was dehydrated; the thick pasty saliva in my mouth was a sure sign of that.

So what do I take away from this? Does this mean my sub 1:23 goal is unreachable? I still think I have a chance.(Maybe I am being stubborn about this especially after re reading that horrible workout but I really don’t trust the results) This workout was run on a warm morning, dehydration played a big role, my sleep had been poor for 10 days leading up to the run and my legs really are a little out of practice with the week off. I’ll continue with the training program and see if I can get some positive signals.

For now my race day plan is to run the first 3 miles at sub 1:23 pace . In a half marathon I think you have a good idea if the pace is sustainable by then. If not, I slow down to try and PR. If I feel great or decent or a small chance that this is doable then I keep it up. If I implode, oh well, there will be other races.