Ready

Today was my final run before the half. I'll work out tomorrow and Friday, but no more running. I did 4 miles today, and it was a struggle to keep it an 'easy' run. I kept feeling like I should be picking up the pace, or running some hills.

But I kept reminding myself that I'm ready. I haven't followed a specific training plan, but I've done a lot of quality training runs, and I feel healthy and strong and so ready to tackle this race. It's constantly on my mind, but not in a bad way. I keep visualizing the finish line, and various points during the race, and thinking about what I'll need to do when I start feeling tired.

I'm aiming for just over an 8-minute-per-mile pace. I don't know how close to 8:00 I can get, but I'm thinking that anywhere between 8:03 and 8:05 is reasonable. It's going to feel great for the first 6 or 7 miles, and ok for miles 8 and 9, and maybe even mile 10. Then, I'm pretty sure it's going to become more of a mental battle than a physical one. But I'm prepared for that, and I know I can get through it.

As I was looking over my past times for this race, I realized that my PR is not 1:48 - that's what I was aiming for when I ran it in 2008, but I came up short and ran 1:50. So 1:50 is the time to beat, and unless something goes horribly wrong, I'm almost certain I can beat that.

The ultimate goal is 1:45. The still-pretty-awesome-and-still-a-big-PR goal is 1:47. And as long as I come in at or under 1:50, I'll be pleased.

1:45 would thrill me beyond belief, though. "Run Less, Run Faster" predicts that a 3:45 (BQ for my age group) marathon is doable if you can run a half in 1:47:25, so running one in 1:45 would give me a little bit of breathing room and a whole lot of confidence.

I have my playlist ready, and I'm making a mental list of all the things I need to bring on race morning, and my emotions seesaw between terror and elation. I just can't wait to actually be there at the starting line.

Right now, weather forecast looks good - dry, with temps in the low 50s. Perfect, I think!

So now, I wait.......

Comments

[Wes]

excellent. execution is key. break the race up into chunks. have goals for each, and let-er rip!

Good luck!