Expo

Bromka, Skip and I just got back from the expo at the World Trade Center. While there, we picked up our race packets, got some cool gear, and generally got excited for the race. In past years, the expo had been at the Hynes Convention Center, which is right at the finish of the Marathon on Boylston Street. I liked it better when it was here. The World Trade Center building was super crowded and way too warm. Oh well. I picked up a really nice fleece jack while I was there. It was cool to see a ton of runners getting excited for the race. Runners are good people.

I'm not going to run today... let my legs get nice and recovered. I got a good stretch in this morning, and my legs feel good. I'm ready to roll. The only thing left to do is run the race...

The Plan

Ok... this morning I ran a very easy 3.5 with Andrea Piekarski and her friend Lilla. We did the BU Bridge to Mass Ave loop, which is a great short run. I felt pretty good.

So, here's the plan for the race. My goal going in was to run under 2:50. I do not see this being much of a problem. My training has gone well, I'm healthy, and it isn't supposed to be too warm on Monday. Granted, this is my first marathon, and I don't know how I'm going to be feeling after the 20 mile mark or so. 2:49 works out to about 6:28 pace. I know I can run 6:28 for a while and feel very comfortable. Having plugged in my half marathon race time (1:12) into a bunch of time predictors, they've come out to 2:31 to 2:36. Now, I don't think these times are impossible, but it would be very risky for me to run the first half of the race at this pace. The plan is to go through 10 miles between 63:00 and 64:00 (between 6:18 and 6:24 pace). The first 5 miles of the race are very downhill, so I think going through 10 at this pace should feel very comfortable. At this point I'll see how I feel and maybe pick it up a little. (Which will happen at Wellesley whether I like it or not). Even though I might be feeling great from 10-17, I still have the Newton Hills to worry about. I've run these a few times, and they are pretty serious. Hopefully I can continue to run about 6:20s until I make the turn on Comm. Ave.

At this point, the race starts to get interesting. You've run 17 miles, and you need to deal with about 4 miles of tough uphills. I think it would be very easy to get super pumped up by the crowd and really hammer all the way to BC (21 miles). I could do this, but I might be totally spent for the last 6 miles of the race. I think I'm going to run relatively conservatively through this section, as I don't want my legs to fall apart.

Once you crest Heartbreak (where the Tufts crew will be), it's pretty much downhill or flat all the way to the finish. At this point, I'll see how I feel. I hope I feel good. If I do, I'm going to really start pushing/racing. Ideally I'd get down close to 6:00 pace at this point, but again, I really don't know how my legs will be doing. I may have to slow down to close to 7 minutes a mile, or I might be able to drop 5:50s. We'll find out!

I predict I run right around 2:46.

Holla

Last real run before the marathon today. Hog and I ran Brookline, 8 miles... my legs felt sluggish, but this is not uncommon for the taper period. Tomorrow or Saturday I'll outline my race plan for Monday....

Easy running

I ran an easy 3.5 on the Chuck with Skip this morning. My legs are starting to feel good, which is great. I think Boston is going to go very well. I received my racing singlet from Tufts, which is sort of inspiring. It's yellow (as you can see). Look for me on the course... hopefully I'll be within the the first 300 or so runners, and should be no further than 35 minutes behind the lead men (and this will be at the finish). If you see me on the course, cheer like crazy. If it's before the 16 mile mark, tell me I need to relax. If it's after 16 miles, tell me I need to start running faster.

Counting Days

An easy 5.5 on the Chuck after work today. It was glorious out today... made me really appreciate running in Boston. 55, sunny, no wind. Awesome. I checked my split on the city side of the river on an 800m segment that's measured out, and I was running 6:30 pace. This is encouraging, as 6:15-6:25 won't feel that hard for the marathon.

I've also been checking the weather report religiously. I think (hope?) it will be nearly perfect running conditions on Monday. Accuweather and Weather.com are saying highs of 52 and 58 respectively. This is awesome. I feel badly for the people who ran it the last two years when it was 75 and 87 at the start. That makes running fast nearly impossible. This year cooler temperatures will grace the streets of Boston, and all the marathoners will have a much better time (literally and figuratively) as a result. Nice.

And, I've decided to go to Villanova Law School next year. After the marathon I'll talk more about law school.

For a very funny link, check out: http://sites.gizoogle.com/index2.php?url=http%3A%2F%2Fwww.macrunsboston.blogspot.com (thanks Henn)

Update

Ok.... on Thursday and Friday I just ran 3.5 miles. Originally the 10k I was supposed to pace was scheduled for Friday evening/afternoon. I got an email from Ethan on Friday telling me that they decided to move it to Saturday morning on account of the poor weather. Even though this worked out well, I think it's sort of bush league to switch up a meet like that. Additionally, why was the 5k scheduled for Saturday afternoon (and not Friday evening)? Why was the last race of the "distance night" scheduled for 5:15? Considering the success of the meet last year, and the fact that it doesn't get dark until 7:30 or even later these days, I don't know why they didn't stick to the way it worked last year. Oh well.

Anyway, on Saturday morning I headed over to Tufts to help out with the 10k. To those who don't understand pacing or rabbiting, basically a rabbit works to keep the race on pace for the first section. Sometimes, especially in longer distance races, the race can turn tactical, as no one really wants to lead. If it's windy, it's a pretty big advantage to follow someone through on pace, rather than leading yourself. A pace-maker ensures that the pace stays honest early on, and helps to block the wind a little. For the 10k, Chris Kantos and Josh Kennedy were hoping to run right around 31:00, which is pretty serious. Adam Fitzgerald, a Conn. College alum, and Jimmy Butcher from Middleburry were also in the race, hoping to run about the same time. The weather actually wasn't too bad... it was about 45, cloudy, and a little breezy. After warmup with Kantos and Kennedy we lined up for the 25 lap race. I went to the lead about 100m in and went through the mile in about 4:55. I stayed on this for the next mile and came through in 9:52 before stepping off. I was glad I came through right on pace, as I didn't know how difficult it would be to run this. I was hurting a little for the last lap, but overall I felt pretty good. Kennedy and Kantos are in pretty sick shape considering they held this pace for another 4 miles, finishing in 30:56 and 31:02 respectively. Good for them... those are pretty nasty early season times.

Today I ran 11 miles with Tufts alums Jason Burke and JR Cruz. We went around South Boston. I felt ok... we were going a little bit fast, but overall it was a pretty good run. JR, Bromka and Burke have all run Boston, so it was interesting to hear their advice for the race. I also can't believe that it's only a week away. I'm getting pretty pumped. During this week I'll do a more comprehensive outline of the taper, and my plan for the race. I think I'm ready to rock... this week is all about tapering and making sure my legs feel good.