Well Here We Go....

Three mental miles over lunch today, and that's it until Sunday's Harrisburg Marathon.

I really wish the race were yesterday... yesterday I was pretty Zen and felt like I could've done something special. Now - I'm a bit more normal for me, which isn't so Zen-like.

But the hay's in the barn, etc. etc. Nothing I can do about it now. And no matter what, it's not like I'll be running with a rabid fox on my arm like some runners do. (Thanks, Maggie)

Earlier this week, I laid out the nutritional plan. Here's my detailed pace plan:

7:15 miles until the wheels fall off. Period.

Some things I'm not good at. Some things I am. I promise you I won't come back and say I got excited and burst out of the gates at 6:55. Ain't gonna happen. I'll be close to 7:15 for the first mile and the one after that and the one after that.

Around 15, that won't be as much fun, and I'll work hard to keep 15-20 between 7:15 and 7:25.

And after that, well there's nothing like the last six miles of the marathon to render training plans, blogs, books and even paid coaches powerless. It will be a battle to the end.

A 7:15 pace is a 3:10 marathon.
A 7:26 pace is a 3:15 marathon, which is what I need to get to Boston, being 37 years old and all.

They say you should have A, B and C goals. I'm setting the A goal @ 3:10, because I do believe it can happen. It will take the perfect set of circumstances, but it can happen.

B goal is anything under 3:15:59.

C goal is simply to finish. I do have respect for the marathon like you're supposed to respect wild animals and if my guts blow up on me, or if my shins fall apart, or if, if, if... it doesn't matter. There is valor in finishing and I would get some satisfaction (some) out of just finishing.

And after this? I actually have a plan in place for how to spend the winter and I'm excited about it. But I need to do this thing on Sunday before I can tell you about it.

In the meantime, I just found out today that the first ever marathon will be held in Lancaster County in the Spring! Obviously, Boston could prevent that from happening. However, it's just another sign that if I don't pull a 3:15 this weekend, there's always another challenge waiting.

Comments

  1. Anne Findlay4:20 PM

    Good luck! Run strong! I can't wait to hear all about it.
    Cheers,
    Anne

    ReplyDelete
  2. rdn5cents11:02 AM

    Good Luck Marcus!

    ReplyDelete

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