Of course I can't control the weather! But I do know what to expect. 65 degrees at the start, warm and humid. It's 45 here this morning. Humidity a couple days ago was 7%. What I can do:
- Arrive 12 days before the marathon. I've read that it takes about 14 days for your body to adjust to a different climate, so I'll be close.
- Wear an extra layer while running here at home. I've struggled with this one! I love running when it's below 55! I wore a fleece lined jersey on my long run last week and will do the same this week. I plan to wear an extra layer next week as I start transitioning towards the warmth.
- During the marathon I will be drinking early and often.
- I'll be applying extra Body Glide. With the heat and humidity, I sweat so much more - more chances for chaffing and blisters.
It's time for a confession - I have been a complete sugar addict for the past two years. If it has chocolate in or on it, it has my name on it. Mini candy bars have been my "drug" of choice - they're only a point each. But those points have added up. We've been having way too many desserts lately, too. As of Monday, I'm about 8 pounds heavier than I was when I ran my last marathon. That's not gonna help. Last Friday, November 14th, was declared the start of "No Desserts Marathon Countdown Month." Les is joining me and we are allowing one exception - Thanksgiving day! Since last Friday I have not had any desserts. No cookies, candies, ice cream, not even a substitute like a WW bar (something I ate even while losing in the past.) I will weigh again tomorrow. I'm also upping my water intake. Both previous times that I lost weight on Weight Watchers, I started in the Fall and lost weight during the holidays. It can be done. The rest of my eating is pretty good, but the sugar is weighing me down!
I really don't know what my pace will be. I'm hoping to average under 11 minutes a mile. My run on Saturday was slower than that, but had about twice the elevation gain. I expect the excitement of the race to speed me up some as well. I'm hoping to find a pace group of 4:30-4:40, but I don't know if they'll have one.
I just re-read my first marathon recap. My pace for the first half was 9:38, my pace for the second half was 12:46! I do not want to go out too fast and completely fall apart again. I have noticed that my pace on my long training runs has been much more consistent. Nothing super fast, but nothing super slow at the end.
Goals
A+ Goal: Finish in 4:35:17, 10:30 pace
A Goal: Marathon PR of 4:53:32 or faster, 11:11 pace
B Goal: Sub 5 hours
C Goal: Finish and not die of heat stroke!
It's gonna be a great day. I'm starting to get super excited. The crowds will be massive. I KNOW I won't be the last one. Some finishers took 10 hours last year! Pretty sure I can walk a marathon faster than that. Twenty two miles this Saturday, 15 and 12 the next two and it's GO time!
No comments:
Post a Comment