Less than a week to go...

Last week started out great with two 6 mile runs in Central Park. I was breaking in my new sneakers and was able to run two of my quickest Central Park loops in a very long time. Not sure if was the shoes or not, but I felt like I was really moving but not straining too much at all. Good little confidence booster going into the homestretch leading into the marathon. Later in the week brought a sluggish run at a more relaxed pace on Saturday morning with JB and JT (after staying out late at a concert the night before). I was planning on doing a run on Sunday but that was derailed mostly by the volunteer assignment at the More Marathon that morning. The combo of getting up at 5AM and standing in the rain for about 4 hours totally zonked me out for the rest of the day. I took a nap for several hours but was still pretty exhausted. Rather than risk feeling worse by going for a run in the gym or outside, I decided to take the day off. Bagging this run wouldn’t really do me any harm.

Now there is not much left to do except wait and minimize any complications from happening between now and Sunday. Like most other people, I have been checking the weather pretty frequently and although it is supposed to be bright and sunny, unfortunately it looks like it is going to be a pretty warm day. I am not the best hot weather runner, preferring to run in the cold rather than the heat. Running in 25 degree weather in Philadelphia in 2008, while not ideal, wasn't all that bad. You can always layer up in cold weather but not there is not much you can do in the heat to stay cool except drink as much as possible. I guess warm and sunny is a lot better than the cold and rain the women had run through during the More Half Marathon this past weekend. Hopefully the high temperatures for the day won’t be reached until after the marathon is over. Most of my training has been in cold to cool temperatures. It is what I am used to and what I was using to come up with my goal time for the race. While I still plan to go after my desired time, I may need to adjust my goal and/or pace during the middle of the race if the temperatures are getting to hot. My training went well and I feel prepared going into this weekend. The best thing to do is to stay on strategy and run at an even a pace as possible for the first 20 miles. Even if it is on the hotter side, running with the pace group will help shoulder the load, keep me loose, and keep me calm. While I am looking forward to attacking the course and seeing what I am capable of, at the same time I need to be practical and reel myself in if the conditions are not favorable.

I’ll be crossing my fingers for cool weather and frequent breezes!