Beautiful sunny day, trying to decide if I will go long or fast
today! Ate pasta last night, so maybe I will try to go long ... fast
seems to be a challenge for me mentally these days anyway! I will
be the 3:40 pacer for the Poconos marathon May 20! That should be
interesting, because I struggle talking & running ... and I will
have to be a chatterbox as a motivator ... not to mention I will have to
carry a sign the whole way. Good news is it has 1800' of elevation
drop & a 3:40 is only a 8:23 pace, so I should be in a comfort
zone. Although not sure it is possible to be comfortable beyond 18
miles! lol Yesterday, I ran 10 miles & then ate half a bag of chocolate doughnuts, felt like I broke even! Today I ran 20 ... before eating the other half! :) Ran the Capital Area Greenway Belt in Harrisburg, a fun 20 mile loop with varied scenery & some soft surface running trails ... about 800' of elevation gain & drop, with a good portion flat. This was a good confidence builder for my pacing duties May 20 ... wanted to make sure I was not in over my head. Pretty much a comfortable, steady effort & about 15 seconds faster than what I will have to pace .. so should be in good shape, particularly since the marathon has 1800' el drop. Debated stopping at Mile 19 & walking it in, just to be cautious with my knee ... but decided I would gain mental fortitude experience by pushing on ... after all, that is about 90% of what the last 10k of a marathon boils down to! I was on pace for a 3:33 marathon, almost 20 minutes faster than Boston ... to give you an idea of what running in 80 degree temps does to ones performance!
Split |
Avg Pace |
1 |
8:10 |
2 |
8:21 |
3 |
8:17 |
4 |
8:13 |
5 |
8:13 |
6 |
8:13 |
7 |
8:12 |
8 |
8:11 |
9 |
8:14 |
10 |
8:12 |
11 |
8:03 |
12 |
8:16 |
13 |
8:10 |
14 |
8:07 |
15 |
8:04 |
16 |
8:03 |
17 |
8:06 |
18 |
8:01 |
19 |
8:03 |
20 |
7:48 |
Summary |
8:09
|
|