...And We're Off!!

Through the magics of Blogger, this post is auto-posted.  You'll see why..... NOW:

About the time this post is published, Joe VI and I will be kicking it up down mile 1 of the Chicago Marathon. Ben is on our heels in a later corral.  As I've mentioned in the past, the goal for this race was to Boston Qualify.   I also told you recently that I've reset my goal to a major personal best instead.

Well, after the events of last weekend and seeing that I can manage 10 miles at a 7:24 pace comfortably (granted, I've probably mentally blocked out any pain I experienced), I realized that maybe training has gone better than expected.

I also realized that the whole purpose of this race was to BQ (Boston Qualify).  If I go out there and completely explode, then so be it.  If I DNF (Do Not Finish), then I will know that I tried.  If I get a PW (Personal Worst), then I will know to work harder next time.

My training this week has been focused on 1 thing: the first 3 miles of the race.  The pacers in Chicago are doing even pacing, which means they will be charging out the gate at 7:14 pace.  So on Tuesday, I did just that.  It was challenging but within the first half mile my heart rate went from 130 to 179 back down to 150.  First mile was at an average HR of 158 and second at 160.  I finished those three miles in 7:08 pace.

On Wednesday I ran 3 miles starting at 8:00 for the first and 7:45 for the second.  I decided at the third to take it easy and enjoy the last miles on my feet and slowed it down to a comfortable pace.  But my HR for mile 1 was 150 and 153 for the second mile.

So here is my plan:

Mile 1: 8:00 Pace
Mile 2: 7:45 Pace
Mile 3: 7:30 Pace
Mile 4 - 6: 7:15 Pace (BQ)
Miles 7 - 16: Catch the 3:10 pace group
Miles 17 - 22: Hang on to the 3:10 pace group
Miles 23 - 26.2: Secure a BQ bid.
I will really need to hit about a 3:08 marathon to get selected for the Boston Marathon.

The idea is that I will still have mental powers for this simple tracking plan for the first 6 miles. I will also have the Virtual Partner on my watch set at a 7:14 pace so I will know how far back I am.

There was a Q&A question in the Runner's World that I received yesterday.  It was how much can you deviate from a pace and still be able to finish the race in that time.  In other words, if I slow down will I still be able to speed up to still reach that overall pace.

The answer was 5% difference.  So if I'm trying to run a 7:14 pace, I should try to stay within 21 seconds of that ((7* 60 + 14) *.05 = 21 seconds).  Besides my first mile, I will be within that the entire time.

[Note: TKB could not proof the previous paragraph for grammar because it contains math.  In fact, her exact words were "OMG, this has math."]

This might be a bunch of hooey, but I'll take anything that qualifies my ill-conceived plan.

This is going to be just as much a mental game as physical.  This is my third marathon, so I'm hoping that will help me push through miles 20 - 26.2!

And with that, I will leave you these photos from last Sunday's race:

How about 'dem apples.  No seriously... you can almost see them.

Thank you, ASI, for unknowingly allowing me to post these images.