Yesterday I ran the BAA Half Marathon and set a new personal record: 1 hour, 48 minutes, and 20 seconds. This unofficial finish time is 1 minute and 39 seconds faster than I was in 2018. After being benched for nearly a year and failing to meet or exceed any of my personal records pre-COVID, this feels fantastic.

The Training Routine

Instead of merely trying shorter and longer runs, I used three types of runs:

• Easy runs of 5km-10km to do “Zone 2” training. The purpose here was to raise the heart rate at which I burn fat.
• Weekly long runs of up to 21km (full half marathon distance) to benchmark my pace and build my endurance.
• Intervals of quarter to half mile at high speeds to build strength.

The Equipment

This year I’ve been running with the Saucony Endorphin Speed 3. It’s the only wide width plated shoe that I have found on the market. My previous favorite, the Nike Vomero, was long delayed.

I also switched to a cellular Apple Watch Series 9 to avoid needing to use am armband. It’s way more comfortable and worth it.

What’s Next

Maybe trying to set a new 5K record.