I hardly ran all week long – 12 miles total over the course of 6 days. Do you know how crazy that made me? Completely. Completely Crazy. But, I believe in the taper and know my legs need the rest so I that will be ready on race day. So that there will be no doubt that maybe I did too much leading up to the race.
My legs felt fresh today. I was ready to run. My long run pace has been a comfortable 9:00 mile this training season, and I knew that even though I felt like running faster than that today it was not wise to do so. The first mile was too fast – 8:34 – but I pulled myself together and slowed down. This is a skill I am going to need to be sure to have in those first several miles of the marathon on Sunday. I do not want to go out too fast and risk burning out or hitting the wall later on. My goal is to run negative splits and finish faster than I started. My goal is to feel strong and powerful towards the end of my race, not defeated.
Mile 1 – 8:34
Mile 2 – 8:59
Mile 3 – 9:00
Mile 4 – 9:00
Mile 5 – 8:52
Mile 6 – 8:38
Mile 7 – 8:54
Mile 8 – 9:15
Mile 9 – 9:08
Mile 10 – 8:55
The last two miles of today’s run were to be run at race pace. I didn’t exactly do that – the first mile was right on target but the second was too fast. That’s okay with me though. I’m happy with how it went. I felt strong and in control.
Mile 11 – 8:14
Mile 12 – 7:46
I am ready for my marathon next week. I have put in all the work. I have been smart. It is time to trust in my training, time to believe in myself.
