It's 92 Degrees - and the Start of Training Season!

Today is the official start to my Training Season!  I have a calendar filled with training runs and races.  So far my typical week looks something like this:

• Tuesday:  800 Meter Repeats (I'll start with 4X800 with 400m rest intervals, then slowly work up to 8X800 with 90 second rest intervals)
• Thursday:  Race Pace Run (This is run at goal race pace and will slowly increase from 3 to 7 miles)
• Saturday:  Long Run (The first run will be 9 miles and eventually I'll work up to 14 miles)
• Sunday:  Steady State Run  (I'm defining this as a continuous run with no walking breaks.  The goal is to run 5 miles every time, but slowly increase my pace.)

I'm also planning to run with a friend as she prepares for her first 5K. That would mean I might be running 6 days a week for a while, so I am completely prepared to cut out one of my midweek training runs or slow down my pace on all my runs.  And this is where I have completely changed from last year.
Now that I have completed my first year of running, I am actually starting to cut myself some slack!  My emphasis has gone from PRing every race, to simply enjoying them!  I think that is why I have tentatively scheduled 6 half-marathons in the next 6 months.  Because last year my focus was on ONE race.  One race that I got injured right before and ended up running slower than my normal long run pace!

So, my emphasis this year is on increasing my endurance, staying injury free, and having FUN!

Time to start that fun now with some 800 meter repeats in a 107 degree heat index!!  Wish me luck!!