In fact, I have had a ton of progress with my training and I have never felt this good heading into a Marathon. I have been regularly running under 8 minutes per mile, even on the long runs. For instance, on my last 20 mile run I clocked sub 8 minute miles for the last 6 miles.
That's something for me, being a 6 foot tall ~200 lbs runner. While I have had a few aches and pains (damn that Piriformis muscle) and one small non-running injury (pinky toe vs. doorjamb) there has been nothing terribly debilitating.
Best of all, I have been having so much fun training for this marathon! I love running fast and trying new routes. It's been fun keeping track of my split times. It's quite a thrill to clock sub 7 minute miles every now and then, or to get on the track and fly through 400 meter or 800 meter laps. I've been able to focus on my training, try new things, and roll with small changes in my schedule with out any problems.
The one thing that did change half way through my training was my goal time. My goal this year was to try to achieve a qualifying time for the Boston Marathon. However, I realized that goal was not to be this year about halfway into my training. The qualifying time for my age group would require a 3 hour and 15 minute finish time. As my training progressed, though, I realized that was not to be and I lowered my sights to a more realistic 3 hour and 30 minute time. Since I did that, my training times have been right on target to hit this time, so I am very confident that I can do this.
I have also been working to ensure I am employing a wise fueling plan for this race. Two things I don't want to do. 1) I don't want to under fuel, and 2) I don't want to end up carrying a ton of stuff with me on the run. To that end, I think I have a plan that will help me cross the finish line strong! I am sure it will work this time.
So, on October 19th I will be lacing up to run the Baystate Marathon in Lowell, MA. I am looking forward to a fun, fast, and challenging race. This will be my third marathon. Hope it will also be a new personal record for me! I'll keep you posted! Really, I won't wait 3 months for the next post! Promise!
