8 Days to Boston
by Robert James Reese » Sunday, April 11th, 2010 » 18 Comments
I may have over-tapered a bit this week. I finished with only 35 miles, making this my lowest mileage week since October. Part of that was intentional but part was just the result of life getting in the way of running. I planned to take Monday and Friday off but run between 7 and 12 miles every other day. But Tuesday ended up being crazy at work and I only got a chance to fit in four miles. And then, moving day yesterday took way more out of me than I thought it would and so I skipped my run.
The result? Good. Antonio and I flew up the Queensboro Bridge Thursday morning. Even though we were running the bridge faster than I ever had before, it didn't seem all that tough. And then, this morning, Sarah and I did 12 in the park, chatting the whole way and I ended up with a 7:03 overall pace, with the last two (on my way home, not conversational) at 6:22/mile. Discovering my legs had those runs in them was exciting. They may be sore and achy, but my legs feel full of energy.
I'm really excited about Boston. About a month ago, I decided to run it hard (instead of New Jersey) and I'm so glad I made that decision. Talking to all my friends who are also running it has gotten me really pumped up and I love how when random people ask me if I'm running it, I can say yes. Other than Chicago, this will be the biggest marathon I've ever run and I'm really looking forward to experiencing the energy.
I keep hearing how tough the course is and I know that my training cycle (only eight weeks with hardly any speedwork) was less than ideal, so I'm trying to go in with realistic expectations. I think 2:55 is out of the question. I'll be thrilled if I can run sub-3:00 again, even more thrilled if I can P.R. But, most importantly, I want to run a smart, strong race. With all that in mind, my plan is to run a 6:45/mile until at least mile 20. Absolutely no speeding up before then. If I can keep an exactly constant pace, that would put me at 2:56:59, good enough for a P.R. And, if I fade a little at the end, it gives me a little cushion to still salvage sub-3.
Now that the goals are set, all that's left is surviving another week of taper and then going out there and running smart. 8 days...
The result? Good. Antonio and I flew up the Queensboro Bridge Thursday morning. Even though we were running the bridge faster than I ever had before, it didn't seem all that tough. And then, this morning, Sarah and I did 12 in the park, chatting the whole way and I ended up with a 7:03 overall pace, with the last two (on my way home, not conversational) at 6:22/mile. Discovering my legs had those runs in them was exciting. They may be sore and achy, but my legs feel full of energy.
I'm really excited about Boston. About a month ago, I decided to run it hard (instead of New Jersey) and I'm so glad I made that decision. Talking to all my friends who are also running it has gotten me really pumped up and I love how when random people ask me if I'm running it, I can say yes. Other than Chicago, this will be the biggest marathon I've ever run and I'm really looking forward to experiencing the energy.
I keep hearing how tough the course is and I know that my training cycle (only eight weeks with hardly any speedwork) was less than ideal, so I'm trying to go in with realistic expectations. I think 2:55 is out of the question. I'll be thrilled if I can run sub-3:00 again, even more thrilled if I can P.R. But, most importantly, I want to run a smart, strong race. With all that in mind, my plan is to run a 6:45/mile until at least mile 20. Absolutely no speeding up before then. If I can keep an exactly constant pace, that would put me at 2:56:59, good enough for a P.R. And, if I fade a little at the end, it gives me a little cushion to still salvage sub-3.
Now that the goals are set, all that's left is surviving another week of taper and then going out there and running smart. 8 days...
18 Comments
As to what you'll wear, I do wish you had a WSSAC singlet now, but we can wait.
And there's something to be said for fast women.
If you're aiming on holding steady til mile 20, be careful at mile 21 - the descent coming off heartbreak. Its a steep drop...that leads to a long descent that will definitely wear a bit. The one place I screwed up on that course last year was pushing the initial descent at 21 since I started to fade a bit at about 22.5 despite holding back for most of the race.
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