Well, I am starting to get the butterflies already and
it`s over 2 weeks away. I completed a solid 8min mile 22
mile long run 2 weeks ago but last weeks final long run of 20
miles did`nt happen as I caught a cold.Maybe I was pushing myself
a bit too much.
Anyways my last hard workout at the track was last night and
although I game myself a bit more recover time between intervals
mainly due to the heat (and the fact that I am still recoving from
that cold)
The session was:
4 * 1 mile at 6.20 pace
2 * 800 metres at 3.00
Felt tough but that is par for the course for these speed
sessions but I can bank that one and hopefully it will help me
in a few weeks.
The only trepidation I have on the big race is the unknowns :
What pace can I hold for 26.2 miles ?
How much will I suffer ?
What pace should I go out at ?
What finish time can I achieve?
It is hard to guess accurately as I have`nt raced a
half marathon/or a 10 miler in the build up to the marathon.
My plan was to target breaking the magic 3hr mark but I have
now decided to aim for between 3.07 and 3.15 as I don`t want to
go off at 7 min pace and blow up in the second half.
As this is my first effort I am going to be a bit cautious
- for once !
I can aim to break the 3 hr mark if I decide to do another one ..
So,my plan is to go out with the 3hr 15 pacing group, settle
into the race and take it from there.
Depending on the conditions and how I am feeling I may kick on
after 10 or 13 miles.
I may stay with the pacing group till the 20 mile mark and then
try to "race" the final 10 k home.
Whatever happens it should be a blast and i am looking forward to the challenge.
Just give me 2 more injury free weeks and a cloudy race day
and i`ll be happy..
