First, a confession...
With five weeks left before race day, I’m feeling underprepared. I haven’t logged as many training miles as I feel I should at this point in the process.
It’s funny, I was chatting with a friend last week who is a marathoner and she told me that she also felt underprepared just before her second race. The good news is that she managed to finish her second race with a better time than her first. So.... with five weeks to go, I will be training hard and keeping my eyes-on-the-prize: an under 4 hour finish. This would mean shaving about 10 minutes off of my 2009 finishing time, but I think it’s possible.
As those of you who followed this blog last year will recall, my trouble on race day started around mile 19. My pace just dropped through the floor after the Willis Avenue Bridge... My endurance simply wasn’t what it needed to be for a strong finish. So, in an effort to address this second-half-lag, I’ve been increasing the number of miles I’m running on my “long days.” Tomorrow, I plan to complete 18 miles.
Let the ultra-marathoners scoff! I still think 18 miles is a darned long way!
And now... off to Paragon Sports for a new pair of shoes! My current pair have been loyal friends, but they’ve developed little holes over where my big toes are. Maybe it’s a sign that I should trim my toenails more often. (TMI?)
On a completely different note: New York Road Runners has just released bib numbers and corral assignments! I’ll be bib # 39610, starting with Green Wave #2, Corral #39!
Also, here’s the official route the marathon will be taking this year:
It's official, people! This is really happening!
Forward!
1 comment:
GOOD luck Ben :-) You will be fast like cheetah and yes 18 miles is still a loooong run. Sometimes I forget that after I run 16, 18 or when I did 20, I would think "well it's not that big of a deal" but yes, yes it is. I am hoping to just finish my marathon in 2 weeks so your under 4 hrs is so inspiring, as is your fundraising cause :-)
Cheers, Anya
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