Every Race is an Adventure!

Congrats on the ability to run pain-free. Are you still on track to run 3:20 at the TOU? If so, I hope to finish with you. That is the time that I am shooting for.

I see you like to use the eGel Packets during the long runs. Do you plan on using them for the marathon? How many?

I can't stand the things, but I do believe that they help. I never train with them though because they are awful. Ok, so I need to try other flavors than chocolate-crud.

What is your race strategy for the TOU?

7:30 miles for as long as possible?

With the hiccups I've had in my training recently, and based on my Hobble Creek 1/2 marathon results and Sasha's Utah Race Time Predictor, I may have to adjust my goal down to 3:25 or 3:30. The 3:20 was always pretty optimistic for me. I'll probably decide my final goals that morning.

I'm not much of a strategist. I usually run what feels good, which usually means starting out too fast and then just trying to hold on to the finish. That approach isn't very enjoyable once fatigue sets in. In contrast, last year at St. George I ran with a couple of buddies. We had worked out target paces for each mile based mostly on grade (up, down, level) and pretty much nailed them until about mile 20. I felt good at that point and picked up the pace. It was great finishing strong. I was on my goal 3:30 pace at 20 and finished in 3:27.

Based on that successful pattern, I threw together a quick plan for TOU. I didn't estimate a pace for each mile, but simply rated each mile generally as downhill, uphill, or level. I rated 19 of the miles as downhill, 3 as uphill, and 5 as level (or roughly half uphill and half downhill). I then plugged some possible paces into a spreadsheet. The numbers I ended up with were 7:20/mi for the downhill miles, 9:00/mi for the uphill, and 8:10/mi for the level(up=down) miles. With all the uphill in the last half of the race, it worked out to be about 1:36:00 for the 1st half and 1:44:30 for the 2nd half. Use these numbers at your own risk.

The eGel brand packets (www.cranksports.com) have worked well for me. I don't care much for some of the others (Gu, ClifShot, etc.). The eGel packets have 150 v. 100 calories, contain electrolytes (so I can drink water instead of sports drink), and I like the flavors. My favorite is Mountain Rush, which has a light lime flavor. I believe they suggest taking one about every 45 minutes. I'll probably take one at 7, 13, 19, and 24. I think that's what I did last year at St. George. If you decide to try them, I recommend you try running with them before race day, and reading about how much water to take with them, etc.

Good luck with your training. See you at TOU. 15 days, 13 hours, and 27 minutes to go.

Thanks for feedback Paul. I haven't sat down and played with the numbers yet. Your game plan looks solid though and I might have to steal some of it.