Pace question

[Dee Smith]

It looks like I'm going to run the Salt Lake half marathon Saturday.  My goal is to get ready to run the best possible time at Ogden on May 17th.  With that in mind should I run the half Saturday at race pace or a minute slower than race pace.  The half will be sandwiched between an 18 miler last weekend and a 20 miler next weekend. I'd like to push the pace and run it as fast as possible, but I worry that this could negatively impact my overall training for Ogden.  Any thoughts would be appreciated.

[Josse]

I have found that half marathons are great tempo run.  I don't think running this half fast will negatively impact Ogden, infact I think races prepare you for the nest ones.  They teach you what you can or need to do differant in the nest one.  Also they make you stronger mentally.  I would go for it.

[Dale]

In your shoes I'd race the Half Marathon....it's 1 month away from your marathon so that should be plenty of time to recover.  You should still be able to execute both long runs....just be sure to get plenty of rest after your HM and before your second long run so you can execute it properly.  My two cents...

[Sasha Pachev]

Based on your current level of training and how you've responded to occasional spikes in it I would recommend that you race the Salt Lake Half all out, and then talk to the Ogden race directors to see if they will allow you to switch to the half as well. In the meantime, increase your mileage. Make sure to get out every day, even if it is only for a couple of miles, and focus on a fall marathon. You can definitely finish Ogden, but it will not be a pleasant experience. There will be a disappointing wall, sore legs, long recovery, etc.  With proper training you can be well-prepared for a fall marathon and set a 10-15 minute PR while having a much more pleasant experience.

[Craig Green]

I talked to the Ogden race directors 2 days ago and they told me the half marathon was full and I couldn't register for the full and then run the half. The problem is that they can only a certain number of runners down the canyon at once. At 1700 runners, the half is definitely full. They already have 100 runners on the half marathon waiting list.

Your other option- there are still 50 open relay spots. Find someone else and run a 2-person relay, where you each are running a half marathon. It's a little cheaper. The downsides- you won't get your official half marathon time in the results. You'll get a combined relay time for the full marathon. And you won't have the half maraton competition, so your competitive motivation/drive may suffer a bit.