Well, here we are on Saturday....the race is one week from tomorrow. I've dialed way back on mileage and so start to feel stronger and stronger as the legs bounce back from the heavy training load.
Today, a short 4 mile run at marathon pace - 10 sec/mile (8:56). I felt really good...granted it's a very short distance..but it better feel good if you're going to hold that pace for 4 hours plus.
So... a good feeling...a greyhound ready to run!?.. I do have some grey fur but I prefer spaghetti to kibble :-D
These last few runs are where I sort out all the stuff I need during (and before) the race. I'm not talking about fashion...more about function. (Although I have a couple of suprises in the fashion department.... I will unveil on race day).
The photo shows something called a "pace band"..you wear it on your wrist. I've made one for my target of 4 hrs, and it shows the times I need to hit for each mile. Very useful ..doing arithmetic in your head gets pretty dodgy after 10-15 miles of running. I've marked red dots on the band to show the approximate locations of the water stops...useful to know since eating GU works better when there's some water to wash it down.
Generally, one of the things I really like about running vs a lot of other sports is the minimal amount of "gear" you need: shoes, socks, shorts and a shirt.
But of course, there are a few other things, e.g. sunscreen, a pouch to hold gels, pins to hold race number (called a "bib" for some reason...perhaps because runners are so infantile about themselves..hmmm?)
It can really mess with your head to forget something important, so it's good to have a list. Here's my list... did I forget anything? It's all about being totally prepared (and hence relaxed) on race day.
Tomorrow it's 8 miles.....can't wait!
No comments:
Post a Comment
Feel free to leave a comment!