A few weeks from starting the second half of 2012, and I can’t believe how quickly everything has gone by. I still remember getting into my cold gear and heading out the door for long Sunday runs in the snow cold weather. I would give just about anything to have that weather back right about now. But half the fun of summer is adjusting to the heat and figuring out what to do in the second half of the year. And while I’ve been adjusting to the heat these past few weeks, I’ve also been enjoying my summer. I nixed a race due to my legs not feeling 100% and just slacked a bit on some sort of training plan I had for myself. It’s ok though, I decided I should enjoy these last two weeks of no real plan before the mother of all training schedule arrives.

I’ll even admit that maybe I even got a little burnt out, but who doesn’t. Sometimes you need to just step back, relax and get ready for what comes next. I’d love to put 100% into every race I do this fall, but I probably won’t be able to. I  have two races that will be the most important things this fall, MDI and Columbus. Of course the marathon is my main goal, but I don’t want to put all hope into one race and not enjoy some local runs. Here’s my tentative schedule for the next six months. Some are still in question, and I may add a few, but at least I have some idea of how to measure the second half of the year.

June 30, 2012 – Run for Help 5k?

July 4, 2012 – Bay Days 5M

July 14, 2012 – Winking Lizard A Shot in the Dark

August 11, 2012 – NR Lion’s Club 10k

September 8, 2012 – Run for the Record 5k

September 9, 2012 – River Run Half Marathon?

September 15, 2012 – Mount Desert Island Half Marathon

September 23, 2012 – Race with Grace 5k

October 21, 2012 – Columbus Marathon

November 4, 2012 – Inland Trail Half Marathon?

November 22, 2012 – Mesa Turkey Trot 10k

My biggest challenge is creating my marathon training. I’ve played around with Runner’s World’s Smart Coach to come up with a few plans, and I’ll probably end up combing a few, and changing a few. I have no idea what I’m doing, all I know is that those long runs count.

Don’t forget to enter my giveaway, it ends Sunday!

What’s your second half of the year look like? Any suggestions on marathon training?