Race Day Goals
A) 3:45
B) 3:50
C) under 4:00
D) Finish
Strategy
I plan on aiming for a steady 8:45 pace which will get me an approximate 3:50 finish. On the one hand, I don't want to go out too fast and put too much time in the back, but on the other hand, I would like a small cushion as the likelihood of having a negative split is pretty low. If I am able to at least hold the pace for the entire marathon, I'll get around a 3:50. In the unlikely event that I can speed up at mile 20, I'll get a 3:4x but it's more likely that I will have to do my best to not fade too much.
Tracking
My bib # is 25720. I don't plan on having Facebook automatically post updates, so if you are interested, feel free to download the tracking app or track me via the website.
Musings
Out of the three marathon training cycles I have had, 2012 still represents my best training efforts. Due to work getting super busy & my promotion to manager, as well as training four new direct reports, I wasn't always able to get all of my training runs in. Getting sick for a week and missing a long run hardly helped matters.
I would like to thank my mother for doing 5 miles out of my last 20 miler with me in the cold freezing rain. Getting out there would have been FAR more difficult that day.
That being said, I was able to PR in 3 distances: 6:43 in the mile, 23:44 in the 5K, and most importantly, a 1:44:45 in the Staten Island half marathon, thanks in part to the pace group I ran with. I am hoping that these are indications that a sub-4 marathon is possible.
Well, to be more accurate, I am sure that a sub-4 marathoner is somewhere within me. The only question is whether she will come out and play.
Best of luck to all of my fellow runners, and thanks to everyone who has been and who will be supporting me out there tomorrow!!!!
