All of the workouts are finally over! This morning was the last track workout before the marathon this coming Sunday. Tomorrow is a short and easy 5 mile run, Friday is a day off and Saturday is another short easy 25-30 minute jog. This all leading up to my first marathon that is not part of Ironman. The goal is to qualify for Boston. To get to Boston in my age group I need a 3:15 or approximately 7:27 minute miles.
My coach, Fernando Braz, has given me the plan for the race. He wants me to focus on executing 5 miles at a time.
5 miles @ 7:30-7:20
5 miles @ 7:30-7:20
5 miles @ 7:30-7:20
5 miles @ 7:30-7:20
5 miles @ 7:30-7:20
and then bring it home for the last 1.2!
Sounds like a good plan to me. I’ve already entered into my watch so it will notify me if I leave that range. I’m most concerned early on about going out too fast. After I get to the 20 mile point I will evalutate how I feel to see if I want to try and get to a 7:15 pace for the last 5 miles segment.
The other large component here is nutrition. I need to bring a couple of gels with me so because they only provide two on course. I think I want to be sure to drink at each water stop and have a gel every 5 miles.
The course is supposed to be fast and flat. Well, from the elevation chart it looks pretty flast with a total of 335 feet gained over the entire marathon. Hopefully that will make me fast!