AM - 4 miles. An easy run w/ Andrea, Erik (Hamdog), Rachelle, JG, and Dan after the BAA 5K. Its so cool to feel like a part of "blog team" out here! PM - 1.5 miles. Easy jog w/ Andrea. Staying in the groove. ------------------------------------------------------------ I was excited to see Andrea run the 5K this morning. Based on her recent workouts I figured she could run 17:20-30, but she would have to run a smart, negative split effort. She did just that, I was so proud of her for sticking to the plan and executing a really great race. 17:23 is a fantastic season opener and after all the injuries and setbacks this year, its been fun to watch her make some rapid progress over this past month. I'm really happy for her. I took a lot of photos... they are on Andrea's race report. So - I guess there is a marathon race tomorrow? :-) Everyone is (for good reason) talking about the weather. Anyway you slice it, its going to be freaking HOT tomorrow. Highs will be in the 80s and it will already be in the 70s by the time the gun even goes off. Not ideal for fast racing, obviously. I believe that in good conditions, I'm ready to run 2:17-2:18. I've got that 5:15 pace locked into my legs. I've done enough workouts to know that was a realistic goal. But when its this warm out, times are going to be 3-5 minutes slower. I'm not lacking any confidence in my ability to run 2:17, trust me, but I feel like going out at that kind of pace tomorrow is suicidal. Any mistakes you make are going to be magnified. Running smart is going to be the name of the game. So I'm going to force myself to run more conservatively for the first half of the race. Guys are going to blow up, and hopefully I'll be there to run them down. I'm targeting ~1:10-1:10:30 for the first half. I think that will be conservative enough that if the weather is brutal, I'll be able to hold it together. And if I'm having a great day, then I'll still have a chance to break 2:20, which I realize will be tough in these temperatures but I still believe I can do it. Its hard after focusing so much on this specific day to not be able to chase the time goal I want to. But its a race, not a time trial. If I run a smart race, I can place pretty darn high. I'm not nervous at all. I haven't been all week. I feel very confident in what I have done to prepare. And I have to say that I have downright ENJOYED this training cycle and buildup towards Boston. I've pushed my body and discovered that I'm nowhere near my limits. I've made new friendships along the way. Its been fun and rewarding already. Tomorrow is the icing on the cake, or spinkles on the ice cream, as I prefer to say. My Dad texted me last night to say he thinks I am "ready to race in -40F or 110F." He said to just adjust the pace and enjoy the fact that I will running on sacred ground. He is right. This new weather twist almost has me more excited about the race. People are freaking out. Yeah, its going to be tough. But the marathon is tough to begin with. This is where you find out. This is an opportunity. Tomorrow is where you find out what you are made of. Can I run a smart, disciplined race? Can I stick to the plan? Can I COMPETE? Can I leave absolutely everything I have out there and hit that finish line with no regrets? I want to know the answers to all of those questions.
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