Crunch Time

1 Week, two days until the Providence Marathon.  My stomach just started to hurt as I'm typing this.  I'm NERVOUS! But here is what I am going to do.  Run to finish.  Think of it as just another training run.  My goal in this race is to finish and not only finish, but finish with a smile on my face.

So on Tuesday I did the eliptical and stretched a lot.  Yesterday I went to Physcial Therapy.  In case you care, I go to Kennedy Brothers in Downtown Crossing and see Jake Kennedy.  The man is a machine.  I feel like I've already improved so much and I know by going to him I will continue to get healthier and hopefully faster! If you read his bio, it says he's run over 40 marathons including Boston for the last 26 years.  This man knows it all. I asked him what my plan should be for the rest of the week and he told me: "Run 8 miles Thursday fast like faster then marathon pace and then come in Friday (to PT) and run 6 miles Saturday also fast."  He continued to say that if I run at :30seconds to a minute faster than race pace on these runs, come next Sunday, marathon pace will feel easy for say the first 17 miles.  It won't feel like I'm killing myself trying to get through it.  So this morning I did what he said: 8 miles at faster than marathon pace.  The only problem is figuring out what marathon pace is.  My long runs have all been about 9:15-10 minute pace. So I set my goal to run under 9 minutes for this run. To not see one mile above 9 minutes. And I know that sounds slow.  Hell, a year ago, if I ran over 9 minute pace I would think there was something wrong with me.  But running 5 miles and running 15+ is a lot different and somehow in this marathon training, I've become much slower. Which is fine because my goal is to FINISH and that's it. 

First though, it took forever for me to get the satellite on my Garmin.  I decided to run outside in the city and it was hell for it to pick up.  I prob ran at least a .50 mile while waiting and then decided to stop and just wait for it to load.  So below just includes what Mrs. Garmin actually documented : )

So here are my stats:

8.25 miles 1:11:54 8:44 pace

Mile 1: 8:36 

(Feeling okay, forgetting how hard it is to run under 9 minute pace)

Mile 2: 8:52 

(Thinking this sucks... maybe I should do the 6 mile run today...trying to enjoy the Charles on Storrow and not think about running...)

Mile 3: 8:47

(getting sorta easier)

Mile 4: 8:43

(about to cross the Brighton bridge to Memorial Drive, feeling better, it usually takes me four miles to warmup)

Mile 5: 8:44

(in my groove, telling myself only a 5K left, how many times have I run 3 miles!)

Mile 6: 8:36

(feeling real good)

Mile 7: 8:34

(starting to really push it)

Mile 8: 8:59

(ran like entirely up Beacon Hill and lots of traffic + autopause turned off on my watch)

Mile .25: 8:43pace

Overall, I was psyched with this run.  And even more excited for next weekend.  Okay, maybe excited isn't exactly the right word... 

I've cooked some things here and there this week but will post about those recipes another time!