I, will not be running 26.2.
I will likely run 6.2 today.
But I do have to say, I'm catching the fever again. While running for 3-4 hours is not always my idea of a good time, the competitor in me is starting to get antsy for the next challenge. I think I initially lost my lust for the marathon because the first three - well, the *only* three - marathons I have run have all been in the same town. I need something different and of course, if I do it I'm going for broke. I'm going for the BQ.
Time to crunch some numbers:
I have already run a barely sub-3:40 which would have qualified me a few years ago. Since the standards have changed, I now need to run a 3:35. That will mean maintaining a pace of 8:12. My previous marathon was run at an 8:22 pace. My best half marathon was run at a 7:36 pace.
So... based on a highly scientific method employing lots of complicated formulas with a dash of logic, I think I can reasonably train to run at an 8min/mile pace. This provides a bit of a buffer and room for error and/or potty pit-stops.
Now I just have to pick a fall race. I have some time to think about it and of course, a few kinks to work out to make sure I'm in shape to start piling the miles back on. The foot has been behaving a bit better lately but I have dedicated a little more time to the bike this week. My left hip is still tight as hell, though, which semi-confirms my theory (I'm all about the scientific method today) that my left-side problems are starting up high in my hips and glutes and working their way down my leg. If my tight, pain-in-the-ass ass is causing me to land funny, therefor putting unusual amounts of stress on my left foot, then I hope that working my hip flexors along with stretching and hopefully a massage or two might help.
Until the right Groupon deal pops up for a sports massage, I have a little help from my friends:
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| I could just go the House route and get addicted to Vicodin, if it weren't for all the inconvenient hallucinations. |
What race would you travel to go run if money/time/travel were not an issue?
2 comments:
Do you have a favorite training plan that you use for marathoning? I'm still trying to figure out what's best for me, so I'm always curious as to what other runners prefer. Do you think it's better to run all your long runs at race pace or do you just try to incorporate tempo or track workouts throughout your plan?
To answer your questions, I like a good Fall marathon because I'd rather torture myself with the heat of the summer, then have a nice cool race day rather than train in the cold winter and risk having a sweltering race day. But, on the flip side, October seems to be prime running month, so I feel like I have to give up running other races just to do another marathon. Part of me dreams of doing the Goofy Challenge one day if money were no object. The other part of me wants to never run a marathon again :)
I'm with you on training through the summer, letting the fall race be somewhat of a "reward"!
Personally, with only doing 3-4 runs a week, I feel like it's a waste of time running anything slower than my goal marathon pace. However, I also don't want to kill myself. So for long runs I will probably do an "on/off" method. For the "on" weeks I will do most of the run at goal MP. For my "off" weeks, I'd just run the distance at a relaxed pace without checking my pace or time.
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