Half-way point

Hello, my name is Yasushi. Having successfully completed the Boston marathon in April (in what proved to be a very tough weather!) I have begun training for the Loch Ness Marathon in late May. I normally train for 18 weeks for the marathon, so this weekend marked exactly the half-way point. So far I have been trying to increase the weekly mileage up to 70, with an aim to build up my endurance. On Saturday, however, I did my first tempo run in this training cycle. The weather has been cooperative this summer, but unfortunately yesterday was a hot and sunny day. When I usually run in the Victoria Park in London, most of my route is covered under the shade. Yesterday however I was exposed to the sun as I had to measure the mile precisely. So it was a tough going, but I did my best to stick to the 7 minutes per mile pace for 12 miles.
To be honest I struggled during the month of July. Normally I find the week 12 to 8 the hardest stretch; I was feeling more and more tired but there was still a long way to go before the marathon. Thankfully next week is a recovery week, so I intend to drop the weekly mileage before the training reaches its peak from mid-August.
Weekly mileage: 72