After running NY, I decided I wasn’t going to have a target for Boston. I wanted some down time and decided I would just maintain my base and get in my quality miles at leisure. I’m glad to have done this since training was tough this winter for various reasons, mostly snow and ice, making my long runs difficult. But, out of habit, or ritual, I did everything I could to get the long runs in, mainly because I enjoyed getting them done.
Then I ran an entire 20 miles at 7:11 pace to see where I was at. This was a pace that I found to be comfortably hard for the distance and wondered if I was going to be able to hold it the entire time. I thought my marathon pace would be 7:26 at best. I am extremely pleased to have been able to do this. But, most importantly, it was the feeling I felt during the run which pleased me most.
As a result, I began to think I was more ready for Boston than I realized. I figured a 7:11 pace for a 20 mile training run could realistically be stretched to 26.2 given a proper taper, and bring me across the finish line in under 3:09.
I’ve given thought to others who have been training for Boston and who have come across bad luck and are now unable to run the race they worked so hard far. They’re missing out. Meanwhile, I have no excuses. I’m starting to realize I have some potential to do well in Boston, yet I never really made a mental commitment to race it. I feel somewhat guilty about that when thinking of others who have committed to race, but can’t.
I just don’t want the pressure this time around of having to live up to a defined goal. And now, when people ask me about Boston, I find myself telling them 3:10. What am I doing I ask myself? With these time goals comes worries. Worries about all the other variables that can affect a race, some of which I cannot control. But, the ones I think I can control screw with my head even worse. I begin to over-prepare and overcompensate all to reach a goal. I lose perspective.
To add insult to injury, I ran a long run last weekend and struggled just to maintain my easy pace for the entire time. I cut it short and did 15 because I knew I wasn’t getting what I wanted out of it. It was just a bad day. I have plenty of reasons without looking to make excuses. I spent the week drinking almost every night. That was unplanned, but obviously effected me in terms of fatigue. I also had an issue with a blister, and an issue with my lower calves. Not much sleep the night before. I had to start this late in the day at 2:00pm. It was warmer than expected and I need time to acclimate. I normally would dismiss this run, and chalk up to being a crap day. But with a goal of 3:10 now in mind, I worry about the timing of this. I only have another long run to do before the taper and I may be less prepared as a result. Ridiculous!
So, April 19th, I’m going to run the best I can according to how I feel. No time goal. Don’t expect 3:10. I’m not. I’m going to go out and try to capture some of what I experienced two weeks ago. If everything comes together I may have a great marathon. I may be able to pull off that pace again. I hope I do. But, if I don’t for whatever reason, I don’t really give a shit.
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