In preparation for the upcoming Bremen Half Marathon on October 4th, I’m reviving my weekly training reports.  I like the accountability and support, both of which I really need if I’m going to break two hours during this race!  My running over the summer has been relatively consistent, but definitely not intensive, so things have gotten off to a bit of a slow start.  But I have 12 weeks in total to get myself race ready, so here’s a look at week two…

• Monday, speed training: 10-minute warm up, 400m (2:12), 600m (3:07), 800m (4:22), 600m (3:20), 400m (2:11), 10-minute cool down.  I was really lacking energy and was pretty discouraged by my splits, but I stuck to it and just focused on keeping my effort as high as possible.
• Tuesday, rest: Spent the evening at a wine testing instead of participating in the Firmenlauf — post to come!
• Wednesday, rest: I would like to turn Wednesdays into my swimming days, but I haven’t managed to figure out the logistics yet given my new office and new apartment.
• Thursday, tempo run: 5 miles at an overall 9:52 pace, dipping down to 9:25 for the third mile.  Need to work on consistency for sure, but I know my effort was right on target.
• Friday, strength training: I’ve been loving this set of strength training exercises put together for Seawheeze runners.  Seriously, it doesn’t look that intense, but it leaves my legs trembling and sore every time.
• Saturday, rest: So I decided that a freelance project and blogging was more important than yoga, so I didn’t do much of anything. Yoga needs to be a priority though!
• Sunday, long run: I ran my usual 7-mile route through the Bürgerpark and the Stadtwald.  I forgot to charge my GPS watch ahead of time, so I have no idea of my pace, but it felt slow.  On the upside, a deer ran along my path in the Stadtwald, which I’m taking as a good omen.

That’s it for this week.  I’m going to up the intensity a bit next week and hope my body responds accordingly.  Also, new shoes and new running clothes are on my shopping list for August, which should add just the right spring to my step!

Are you in the midst of training for a fall race right now?  Do you believe in omens?