Ouch!! I did my loooooong run today and can't believe it. I felt so much better than the last time I did this, given I had plenty of food and water this go-around.
Woke up at 9, drank water, coffee and a dry 8-grain roll from Starbucks. More water, lube up with Body Glide, 2 cubes of shot blocks, put together my goody bags and out (10:55 a.m.). Ran straight from home this time, which alleviated some miles on the monotonous (yet graciously flat) Burke Gilman Trail. I'm smart - the first few miles are downhill - very smart.
I had Josh put out water and 2 small baggies, each filled 2 cubes of Margarita w/Salt Shot Blocks and a half of Oatmeal Walnut Clif Bar. One at mile 12.5 and another at about mile 16. Overall I ate all of the Shot Blocks (200 cal) and half the Clif bar (122 cal) and consumed around 1.25 liters of water. Is that good? I don't know, but I did not feel hungry or dehydrated so its good enough for me. I think I would have done better spreading the water consumption over a longer period of time because my stomach did feel a little bloated and uncomfortable. I figure during the race I'll hit up enough water stops to make this possible.
I only stopped a couple of times, once to use the bathroom, once to open the baggie and drink some water, and then for a couple of stop lights. My recorded time shows actual running time, not any of these stops, but the delta would be pretty negligible. I'm hoping during the actual race to not have any stops, except for grabbing water on the go... Can I do it? We'll see.
Mile 1 = 9:03
2 = 9:22
3 = 9:03
4 = 9:13
5 = 9:11
6 = 9:14
7 = 9:22
8 = 8:39
9 = 8:57
10 = 8:40
11 = 8:48
12 = 8:50
13 = 9:08
14 = 9:06
15 = 9:09
16 = 9:31
17 = 9:08
18 =9:33
19 = 8:30
20 = 8:24
Total time = 3:00
Total miles = 20
Avg Pace = 9:02
My goal was to remain relatively consistent and see what felt good. I also wanted to finish strong as a test to see how much I had left in the tank. I think I did a good job w/the consistency. It is hard to start slower than you feel like, but I think it worked out. I think I could have run the 1st 7 miles a little faster, since I clearly sped up after that and it seemed to click. The 1st 10 miles took me 1:30:44 and the 2nd half was 1:30:07, there is a small negative split there.
Every training guide I've read says to train on your long runs much slower than you'd do in the actual race. My question is -how the heck am I expected to run that much faster in the actual race?! Not only is it a faster pace, but more miles. I'm having a hard time wrapping myself around this concept. I am just worried that if I shoot for running X pace during the race I'm going to crap myself out early. I just don't know what to expect or what to shoot for. I guess its something I'm going to have to think about over the next 26 days.
Total Miles this week = 42.5 Whoa! I didn't realize I got that many miles in - I am really pleased.
9 years ago
1 comment:
NICE. Way to hydrate, fuel up, and run a conservative pace early on. Perfect! Your pace was consistant except at the end where you kicked extra ass. Awesome!
As for your goal pace, I have two sort of opposite things to say and you can take your pick:
1) It's your first marathon, and many people will run their race at about the same pace as training pace. Well your 9:00 pace gets you a 3:55 marathon, which would be awesome. So you can just do that if you want.
2) You would be surprised how much a well-executed taper after your months of training, along with the excitement of race day, and a large dose of confidence can increase your speed. This is IT, and you are AWESOME. I think you could run 8:30s or better for the distance.
So just think about it, like you said. An agressive goal can blow up on you, but a conservative goal can leave you wondering what if?? For now, just keep running, stay relaxed, and revisit the Goal thing in a couple weeks.
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