Ginny,

yes, Ojai can be hot in June and definitely is hot in summer. But the half marathon will be running downhill towards the ocean so I am hoping it shouldn't be too hot. I will wait until it gets closer to June and then decide. It is the one in Big Sur which I absolutely would love to do. We will see how my plans work out! This weekend there is one here close by around where I live, along the ocean and I SOOOO would love to do it, but I am not ready for a half yet. I am at 7 miles right now, 6 more to go for a half marathon... oh well...;-)

Stephanie,

I am hoping the hills aren't too bad. I checked out the elevation profile  and the maximum elevation gain is 80 feet. That is not bad I think, although it might be a different story in a distance of a half marathon! :-)  I am often trail running with bigger elevation gains, I just ran a trail race which had one big elevation gain of 800ft (of course I only ran a little bit of it and then walked the rest) and even in my neighborhood runs there are constantly hills (I love them!), so I am not too afraid. Maybe during summer I get a chance to drive up there and check out the route. To answer your question... I will mostly train for the hills by doing lots of trail running. :-)

Also, the Big Sur Half Marathon is taking place in Monterey and Pacific Grove and not in Big Sur itself... but I just looked it up, it seems the Big Sur INternational Marathon is directly in Big Sur, and therefor on the Highway Nr. 1 with all its hills and elevations :-)

Britta

I survived my long run this Sunday morning of 11.8 miles.  After a 10-minute stretch, it was rest, ice, elevate, and a cup of hot chocolate.  Finally broke that mental barrier of not being able to do a half.  Now going to start my taper for my first feb 5 HM.  Now, if laundry, cleaning, and cooking chores can be done in a 3-hour cutoff or DNF status.  Seriously!

Stephanie~Good for you getting out and enjoying the beauty of winter running!  I also notice a tightness in my calves after wearing Yaktrax.  Particularly, when the snow is softer and not packed down.  I take a little longer to stretch out after and it does help.  How are you liking the HH 10k plan?  I used it for my first 10k, and I felt totally prepared. 

pennymt~WTG! on completing the 11.8 mile run!!!  The HM is yours!  Doesn't laundry/cleaning/cooking count as cross-training???

britta~800 ft. elevation gain -- You are my inspiration!  How do you train for hills like that?  My HM has a gain of 125 ft. at mile 4.  I ran it as part of a 6 mile run last summer.  It wiped me out!  I do have 8 month of training and mile under my belt since then, though.  I do get in hill repeats every other week, but wonder if it will be enough.

Mary Kay~Hope the nagging cough and congestion is beginning to fade.  Not that this suggestion will help you this year, but for years I seemed to get colds/strep throat/bronchitis on a rotating basis for the duration of the fall/winter/spring.  A RN suggested gargling with diluted antiseptic mouthwash 2x/day.  In 8 years, I have not had so much as a cold!  Worth a try.

Hope everyone has a great training week.  Run strong, friends!

Yesterday, enjoyed a beautiful, easy 4 miles on the bike trail.  Lots of folks enjoying the MLK holiday on a sunny, mid-30 degree day.  First run with the Yaktrax this season, and its already January!  Step back in mileage this week before I attempt my first 10 miles!  Today, stretching and stregthening work.

@girlintheorchard - thanks for the link, it looks like a beautiful race!  I might be able to convince DH to go to that one.    I wish I had your indoor track to run on, the one at my Y is ~ 17 laps to the mile, talk about feeling like a hampster on the wheel LOL!  At least on the t-mill I can zone out watching tv.

I attempted an outdoor run this past Monday (holiday for me!) but it did not go well.  It amazes me how people around here can NOT shovel their sidewalks!  My goal was to repeat 7 miles one more time, but I ended up doing 4 and walking A LOT of it  .  Killed my calves in the first mile and got so frustrated with conditions that I decided to only run where the sidewalks were clear after that.  We are getting more snow today so it looks like next weekend will be inside again.

Good running, everyone!

Starting my 3-week taper for my first half.  Run an easy 5-k run this  morning. 

Stephanie and Debra - thanks for the encouragement.  Really appreciated it.  RE the laundry, really need to get it done soon

Stephen - thanks for the input regarding what to expect after the HM. 

For my long runs, I use  GU chomps and Gatorade without any GI problems so far.  But I have been reading some articles  online and from what I understand you are supposed to mix energy gels with just plain water and not energy drinks.  What's your take on this? 

Great to see this topic on here and to compare notes with people! I'm working towards a 1/2 marathon at the end of March. I'm pretty much a beginner, I'd say. I ran a 10k in October and surprised myself by running the whole thing. Did a 4 mile run in December, and on my own I'm about a 2 1/2mile, 3x a week person. I am trying to stick to a training plan, but it's outpacing me and I'm finding myself getting tired quickly (I think I don't pace myself that well). My approach for now is to try to run 3 miles three days a week and 5 miles on one day until I feel like I can push further, and then just do as much of the 1/2 marathon as I can. I want to finish it, but if it has to be a combination of walking and running, that's okay with me.

Good luck in all your races!