5 Weeks to Go and Two Twenty Milers are in the Books

Simply put, today's 20+ miler was the strongest I have felt on a long run in a very long time. Things just seem to click all around and I just felt "on". I need to remember what this feels like in case I struggle or feel sluggish in the next couple of weeks to remind myself what I am capable of on a good day. The weather was perfect for running, about 50 degrees and cloudy, and I was able to run the entire distance with other people, which helps a tremendous amount. When I run by myself, I tend to run slower and feel more exertion, but when I run with others I usually feel alot more comfortable and I'm able to run a quicker, more consistent pace. That is exactly what happened today.

I was signed up for the 15K race this morning and the plan was to run 11 miles before it at around marathon pace and then run the 15K at that same pace for as long as possible. I met up with Scott C and Jon B and we ran a pretty quick but comfortable pace for the 6 mile loop and 5 mile loop route. The pace was faster than I wanted to go but I didn't want to have the other guys slow down too much just because I was running a race afterwards. About halfway through our run I realized that we were going at around 8:10 pace. I was worried about burning out later in the day during the race, but I was feeling comfortable so I tried not worry about it. I felt strong and wasn't straining too much at all. It is amazing what having company can do for you. Jon cut out at Engineer's Gate to run a loop of the reservoir and Scott ran with me to the start of the race which was about a mile and a half away.

I timed the pre run almost perfectly since I got to the start of the race with only about 3 minutes to go. I was in a good groove already and I was hoping not to mess it up by having to stand still for a long period of time With only a few minutes to go to the start of the race, I mentally regrouped and figured out what I wanted to do. One of the great things about incorporating a race into your long run is the thousands of people you get to join you and help you along as well as the water and people cheering along the course (thanks so much to BH, JM, CK, JG, PD, SD, BC taking pictures and other Flyers - you gave me a huge mental boost!). In addition, the race and the people help carry you along and help motivate you to finish your run. The only worrisome thing about running in a race is that it very often makes you go at a much faster pace than you would like. It takes a lot of discipline to stay at a predetermined pace during a long run with thousands of people around you and I've only been able to do that a couple times during a long run like this. You get sucked into the crowd and your competitive juices start flowing and you want to start passing people. So, the plan was to run at about an 8:20 pace, but I knew right away that that was not going to happen. I was still feeling good from the 11 miles before and I ran with the crowd. Before I knew it I was I running splits in the 7:50-7:55 range. I was trying to slow down which worked for a bit but not for long. I figured why fight it as long as I was feeling good. Even though this was very hilly for a long run, I was able to keep up a good pace and feel strong. For whatever reason, having a Garmin on makes the miles feel quicker. I even was able to pick up the pace considerably for the last mile or so trying to avoid having these two girls pass me at the finish line (mission accomplished).

This was a great confidence booster for me. I felt strong and this gave me an indication of what type of a pace I can stay with comfortably (relatively) for over 20 miles. This also made me think of what my race strategy could be. In my past three marathons I have always started out way too fast and then struggled at the end of the race, with a pace that is all over the place. Over the past year, I have seen that I am capable of doing negative splits in half marathons and today during my 20 miler (ran about 8:12 for first 11+ miles and then a 7:46 pace for the 15K race), as well as seeing my pacing ability get a lot better (but still not great). To try and ensure a steady pace during the first half/three quarter of the marathon, I plan to run with the pace group (I need to stick to this) and even if I feel good, I need to stay with the group for at least 16-20 miles in order to keep a consistent pace and not get ahead of myself. If I am feeling good, then I can give myself permission to pick it up.

Total distance run: 20.55 miles; Total time: 2:43:07, Overall pace: 7:56
Overall pace for 15K race: 7:46.