I am currently running about 4 days-per-week. I feel like I've actually just started doing it on a regular basis though. I do between 3-6 miles 3 days, and a longer run on the 4th. I am a little behind the pace I would like to be at. Ideally I would like to be doing 4-6 miles 4 times per week, and a longer run on the 5th day. My longest run this summer was the 8 miles I did this past Saturday. I followed it with a mile+ walk, and then mowed the lawn afterward. I felt pretty good after it, but this morning I had to do a really slow 3.5 miles.
Part of my problem has been inconsistency. I just haven't been making it a priority. Therefore I haven't been able to go very fast. I am running at between a 10 and 11-minute-mile pace right now. I'd like to get to at least a 9-minute-mile pace by October.
The good news, though, is that my feet and legs feel pretty good. I think in previous years I probably over-trained a little too early. As I get older I am very cautious in my efforts to avoid injury. It just takes too long to heal as an older runner. So I am running slower, with a shorter stride, and trying to keep the impact on my feet, knees, and back to an absolute minimum. My goal is to run as smooth, quiet, and effortless as possible. That's easier said than done, but it's what I'm shooting for.
One thing I'm thinking of doing is, instead of working TOWARDS the Fort-4-Fitness as the pinnacle point of the year, I may shoot for the Veteran's Day Marathon on Nov. 14, and just use the F4F half as part of my training. I still dream of doing a full marathon, but I want to be able to do it around 4 hours if possible. I am not there right now, but it's doable. It may also be something that I just can't do. I dunno.
I came across this article in Runners World on how far a person should run to train for 5k's, 10k's, half's, and full marathons. I liked the line, "A healthy runner beats an injured runner every time." True. They also suggested that training for a half marathon should include 30-40 miles per week, whereas a full marathon is only 30-50. So... who knows.
Anyway, that's where I am, and where I'd like to go. One other thing for future consideration is to continue running year-round. I might consider joining the Y so I could run on an indoor track, instead of a treadmill, in winter. Although it might be better to concentrate more on core workouts during the winter and just leave the running to outdoor months. We'll see.
