Oh my gosh! I just got really nervous! It’s all so real all of a sudden. Yikes! I’m running a marathon on Sunday!!!

This is the last post of my (not quite) week long (except for wednesday) blog-a-thon, and will be the last post before the big race. I should probably get some goals written down, maybe tell you guys my race plan, maybe recap my training.

Shot from my last “long” run – 8 miles.

Race Goals

After my spring half marathon, and again after my summer 10k, I used a pace calculator to help me set a projected marathon time goal. Both were A LOT faster than I would have guessed was possible, and I pretty much immediately dismissed them. I still used training paces associated with those goals times, but judging by my last marathon and how I’ve felt on my long runs this time, I’m showing up with some much more practical goals in mind.

1. Have fun: I’ve never been to the cape, and I want to enjoy the scenery. It’s billed as a challenging course, but I don’t want to poop out and miss anything.
2. Finish Under 5 Hours: If I maintain the pace I’ve had in my long runs, this is totally doable.
3. PR: My current PR for the marathon is 4:51:11, I feel like I could beat this, we’ll see.
4. No Super Slow Miles: Last time, I started falling apart at mile 23 and ended up getting a 15+ minute mile (I averaged 11:06/mile) before I pulled myself together. I’d like to hold it together this time, and keep my slowest miles under 14 minutes.
5. Average under 11 min/mile: This is faster than goal #2 and #3, so it’s probably my most aggressive goal.
6. Even splits: The second half of the race is hilly, so negative splits don’t really seem possible, but if I negative split on effort, I figure I could end up with even splits. Most important part of this goal…DO NOT GO OUT TOO FAST.

And that’s it…I guess I have 6 goals. I think #1, #2, and #6 are the most important to me.

Another shot from the last long run.

Race Plan

What’s more exciting to read about than pacing and fueling plans? Nothing, right? Here’s mine:

• Run by feel: Easy for the first 14 miles. I gauge my effort by reciting the pledge of allegience. Generally, I try to do this when people aren’t around. Should be interesting in a race setting. Then, I’ll pick it up to a medium effort through mile 24, and from there on out…book it!
• Keep the pace around 10:55/mile…Yeah, I’m running by feel, but at the begining of the race 9:40s are going to FEEL great. So, I’ll be trying to keep my pace somewhat in check by adjusting at every mile based on this 10:55/mile…give or take 15 seconds.
• Eat a GU every 4.5 miles. And candy at the mile 17.5 candy stop!!!
• Walk for 2 or 3 minutes with each GU. No more, less is acceptable after mile 14.
• Don’t hold back on the downhills! Also, don’t walk and GU on a downhill..

Training Recap

I’m not much for a training recap. I ran a bunch. My longest run was 22 miles. I ran 3, 4, or 5 times a week (lots of variability) with speed work thrown in. And I tapered VERY severely….I ran 1 time this week. That’s good right? Ha!

I did my best to add in lots of hills to my long runs. I’m concerned about the hills, but I PR’d at a hilly half in the spring, so I’m trying to stay positive and keep that in mind.

Low quality screen capture of the elevation profile on my last long run.

The race!

Let’s pretend that option 2 is less scary! They don’t have the same exact scale (although it’s close), so option 1 probably only looks easier because of that.

 Well, that’s all I got for you guys. Happy Weekend, and I’ll see you on the other side!