The Next Step

It was cool (35) and windy.  A big change from HI.  Today I wanted to do my last longer run before really tapering down next week.  Also, I wanted to add in some MP miles toward the end.  I felt pretty good today and ran easy for the first 7 miles.  After that I picked it up to around MP of 7:00.  Here are the splits: 7:00, 6:59, 6:53, 6:55, 6:57.  Probably a little fast but it felt good and relaxed.  I will probably do some faster running on Tues but the rest of the week will be short and easy.  Now just hoping for some good weather next Sat.  I have a quick trip to Philly this week then a couple of days at home before heading out for the marathon.

 1:28:40 (7:22 avg)

It snowed overnight and the roads didn't look very good for running in the dark with traffic so I ran inside on the TM.  Just an easy day today.  I took it real easy and felt good the whole way.  I had to leave for Philly today and will be coming back home tomorrow.  I will continue to taper down this week for the marathon on Sat. Right now the weather is saying rain and low 40's.  That doesn't sound too good to me so hopefully the rain will hold off.

40:28 (8:05 avg)

Philadelphia, it was cool 35 with light wind. Today was my last shake out run before the marathon. I did 3 miles easy and then 3 miles at MP. I felt pretty good this morning and the MP miles were relaxed. It was hard to track pace because me Garmin kept bouncing around because I was running downtown with a lot of tall buildings. I am going back home tonight and hopefully rest up the next couple of days before heading to Huntsville.

45:42 (7:37 avg)

A big front was moving through Indy this morning so we had 20 mph winds gusting to 40 mph.  I didn't think it would do much good going out and battling the wind so I ran easy on the TM. I felt good and continue to cut the miles back during the taper.  My plan is to rest tomorrow then do a short run on Friday before driving down to Huntsville.  The weather for Huntsville on Sat is still calling for rain and temps in the 40's.  The temp looks good but I hope the rain holds off.

39:40 (7:56 avg)

The wind chill was 5 this morning so I didn't feel like bundling up to go run an easy 4 miles plus didn't want to risk falling on ice the day before my marathon so stayed inside on the TM.  I felt good and ran easy.  I added some strides in at the end to loosen up the legs.  I think it is hard to tell how you are going to feel for a marathon based on an easy 4 mile run the day before.  I guess it is just wait and see.  The forecast for Huntsville looks better.  The rain might hold off until after the race but the wind will be picking up so that's not good but better than cold rain.

As far as my goals for the race.  I worst case I would like to run a PR but I think I am capable of running under 3:10.  Part of me says that is very close to sub 3 but I think if I go out on sub 3 pace I will end up crashing.  I think at this point it would be best to go out and run a solid race to improve my PR then hopefully build on that for a sub 3 attempt next year.  I just didn't get the training to the level I needed this year to make a serious attempt at sub 3.  A lot of this will depend on the weather and how I feel tomorrow. I just hope I can run smart and enjoy the results of the training.

32:08 (8:02 avg)

First off it was a PR by over 11 minutes so I am very happy with the result.  The weather was pretty good.  It was around 38 at the start but the wind was picking up.  The wind turned out to be a factor as a lot of areas were exposed especially going out.  I ended up running a very even race.  It was the best finish that I have ever had in a marathon. I passed a lot of people coming in and I didn't get passed by anyone after the half way mark.  I felt like I started off with a good pace and just tried to stay patient on the first half and especially in the wind.  At around 18 miles I was feeling good and thought I might actually be able to increase my pace but those miles ended up being about the same as my earlier miles.  Around mile 24 I got a bad cramp in my left calf and I was worried that it might be a big problem.  I slowed down some and tired to relax it and it got better.  I was able to slowly increase the pace again and got back on pace for miles 25 and 26.  This is not a big marathon so it was spaced out very quickly and that made the wind tougher since it was hard to get into a group that could work together.  I found one guy that I worked with for a couple of miles but then he dropped back.  Deep down I thought that I might be able to go under 3:05 today but with the wind it just wasn't going to happen.  I am very happy that I ran under 3:10 because that is the open qualifing standard for Boston so now I don't have to use my age handicap to get in and that is a good feeling.  This got me one step closer to the sub 3 goal but I still have some work to do.  At least now it is in sight.  Here are my splits for the race:

1 - 7:13

2 - 7:04

3 -7:02

4 -7:05

5 - 7:01

6 - 7:06

7, 8 - 14:14

9 - 7:08

10 - 7:07

11 - 6:56

12, 13 - 14:08

14 - 7:14 (very windy)

15 - 7:10 (very windy)

16 - 7:09 (uphill)

17 - 7:08 (uphill)

18 - 6:54 (downhill)

19 - 7:03

20 - 7:10

21 - 7:11

22 - 7:07

23 - 7:12

24 - 7:21 (cramp in calf, thought I was in big trouble but it worked out)

25 - 7:11

26 - 7:07

Now I have to get in the car and drive back to Indy.  I'm guessing I will be very stiff by the time I get there.