Pushed the pace a bit at Cross Park -- not MP, but harder than usual, averaging 8:40. Last half-mile was almost at MP. Nice and cool, but humid enough that I still felt it. But this is the kind of run that's going to get me back in go-fast mode. Tonight felt like what I remember Memphis feeling like -- fast enough that I felt it, but also comfortable.
I'm making one change that I hope will make a difference. My weak link has been the calves; they've cramped to some degree in all four marathons. I hope that if I do some specific calf strengthening as part of a cross-training program, that will give me the extra 10-15% to get through 26.2 before they let go. I'm pretty sure I could have gotten below 3:30 in both of my last two without the cramps; the hips, quads, etc., were cooperating. It's simple -- get on the edge of a porch or stair and just do ankle extensions against my body weight. Crossing the fingers that this makes the difference. | 