Normally I would have lots of base miles with a bunch of long runs by this time of year. I'd typically spend the winter working on my distance runs and endurance, sacrificing speed workouts (not a lot of races during the winter months).
This year is almost completely opposite. Although I haven't done any road races yet, I did take up a new sport/activity which sure felt a lot like speedwork every time I went out: snow shoe running. In addition, I've spent a lot more time on the treadmill doing controlled tempo runs (unlike my effort-based tempo runs I do outside). So, lots of speedwork but very little distance work. In fact, my longest run of the year or even the last 6 months or so is 12 miles and I did that last weekend. The biggest factor limiting my long runs has been some nagging foot/ankle issues. I'm not really injured, but there's something wrong with my ankle....and it just doesn't feel right. So, most of my runs have been in the 5-7 mile range, max for quite some time.
So how do I go about setting a goal for a 1/2 marathon? Good question. As a general goal, I'd like to be under 1:30 (6:52 pace). A more aggressive goal would be something closer to 1:25 (6:30 pace). I'd be happy with anything in between though.
