I ran my last hard run before the marathon today. It actually wasn't really hard. It was 4 miles at tempo pace. I didn't take a watch with me, so I don't really know how fast it was, but I just ran a comfortable pace that I felt was something I could hold for a marathon distance. Yesterday I ran 3 miles easy on a track. On Tuesday, I ran 5.5 miles at tempo.
I am definately starting to feel more and more rested. The biggest difference I notice is after I stop running. Usually when I finish a run, I can feel the lactic acid in my legs, and my legs feel heavy and worn out. Today after I finished, I felt like I had just warmed up. 2 more days of rest should really allow me to be fully rested for the race. My calves were a little tight today and yesterday. I don't know what that is from, but it is something I haven't really felt in a while. Generally, tightness gets better as the muscle warms up, so I don't think it should be an issue during the race. I would be more worried if it got worse the longer I ran.
My plan for the race is to run the first 3 or so miles at 7:00 mins/mile. After that I want to drop it down to 6:45 per mile, and hold that as long as I can. There is a pretty tough 2 mile hill at mile 14.5. If I can hold 6:45 through mile 18, I would be happy. I think at that point, there will be a huge weight lifted off of my shoulders. Getting to mile 18-20 and having some energy left in the tank is the goal. I don't want to be dead at mile 18, but I also don't want to go too slow, and feel like I need to sprint to the finish to get a decent time. 6:45s consistently to mile 18 will put me in a good place. I can continue to hold 6:45s until the end, and even slow down a little, and still finish under 3 hours. If I am really feeling good, I can kick it up a notch and really go for a good time. I just need to not go out too fast. That has always been a problem of mine, even in swimming. Gaining a minute on the first 4 miles means nothing if it means losing 5 minutes on the last 4 miles.
I have dropped down to about 141 pounds for this race. I have been slowly dropping weight over the last few months, without letting it affect my training. Last year, I was at about 153 on race day. 12 pounds is alot of weight when carrying it for 26.2 miles. I will carry two gel packs with me. Also, at water stations 3 and 8, they hand out gel packs. I plan on taking gels at miles 7.5, 12, 17, and 21. I will probably skip the first water station, and hit up every one after that. The weather appears to be perfect, nice and cold haha. This is probably the only time in my life where I will refer to a forecast of 55 degrees and cloudy as perfect, but it really is perfect for race conditions.
The last thing is to have fun and not put too much stress on myself. I need to remind myself that nobody is forcing me to do this, and that this is something I have chosen to do. I am doing this as a recreation and as a hobby, and those are supposed to be things people enjoy. It is not like a swimming race where if I miss my turn or start the race is ruined. I have 3 hours of running to do. I will probably make mistakes along the way, but as long as I stay focused, listen to my body, and have fun, I know I will do well.
Tomorrow is the packet pick up. I will get my race bib and goodie bag. I will post again on Saturday and give an update. I will also give details on the race for those of you who want to come watch on Saturday.
Subscribe to:
Post Comments (Atom)
No comments:
Post a Comment