I went to the THS track with Larry and Kent. After our 1 mile warm up (running to the track plus a warm up lap), Kent did his 1/2 mile repeats, Larry did his Energizer Bunny run, and I did a 4 mile tempo run. My goal was to run each mile between 7:00 and 7:10. I didn't check my pace except at each mile. I just tried to keep movin' along. My splits were 6:51, 7:10, 7:05, and 6:58...average 7:01/mi. I think these splits are kind of illustrative of how I run a lot of my races. I often start out a little faster than maybe I should, then slow up but still run close to goal pace, then manage to pull out a little extra at the end and speed up a bit to finish pretty strong. It may not be ideal, but it seems to work okay for me. I would love to run this pace at St. George in two weeks and finish around 3:04, but that's not too likely. I simply haven't paid the price this year. I think a goal of 3:15 (7:27/mi) to 3:20 (7:38/mi) is more reasonable, and that's probably even a stretch. A lot will depend on the weather conditions and how badly my hip hurts me that day. My fall back goal is 3:30 (8:00/mi) which is a Boston qualifying time for me. Actually, since I'll be 50 by the next Boston Marathon, I think my BQ is actually 3:35 (8:12/mi) now. Whatever happens on marathon day, I just plan to take it in stride (pun intended) and enjoy the experience of another marathon adventure.
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