Five More Days

Only five more days until the Pig. I am filled with mixed emotions about the race.

I am definitely excited. I really enjoy our home town marathon. I was told in a recent comment that I should get out and do other marathons across the country and around the world. Someday I hope to, but for now I like focusing on the Pig. I like everything about the race and believe it or not - it's fun.

As excited as I am, I'm just as nervous. As I've said in the past, I always get a little anxious before races. This one is no different. I'm worried that I'm not in as good of shape as I would like to be. The past month has not been my best. Other than the Boston Marathon I've not run a lot. The week prior to Boston I rested. The week of Boston I only ran the race. Last week was OK, and this week I'm resting. So, for almost the whole month leading up to the Pig I've only had one really good run. I think that the rest is good, but I've never gone into a marathon with so much rest. I'm curious to see if it will prove to be beneficial or if the lack of running will hurt me.

I'm also a little sad to see another training season come to an end. I started training back in November and I have spent a great deal of time with the other members of the group I train with. We don't see each other nearly as much during the off season and at the risk of sounding a bit sappy, I'm going to miss hanging out with the guys.

Part of me is glad that it's coming to an end. I know, I just contradicted myself. What I mean is that I'll be happy not training for a while. I'll still run, but I won't train. I look forward to just going out and running for the enjoyment I get from it. It'll be nice not doing hill repeats or track work outs for the next six months. It'll feel good to sleep in a little on Saturday mornings and run only if I feel like it.

I was recently asked what my plan for the race will be. I plan to go out with the 3:10:00 pace group. That means I'll have to run 7:15 per mile. That is slightly faster than the pace I need to re-qualify for Boston. I should have a few minutes banked for the end of the race. Ideally, I should run negative splits, meaning my pace should be faster at the end of the race than at the beginning. I've never been able to do that, so I'd be foolish to think I could Sunday.

Weather is once again going to be a factor. The temperature at the start of the race is going to be about sixty degrees. That's almost twenty degrees warmer than ideal. Hopefully, it will be cloudy and it won't warm too much more by the end of the race. The heat, above all other factors, may be what keeps me from running the time I hope.

Re-qualifying for Boston is a motivating factor for me this year. I want to qualify this year even more than in years past. There are five guys in my running group that are hoping to go to Boston next year. Mark qualified in St. Louis three weeks ago. Jay got it in Boston. Eric, Chris, and I hope to qualify Sunday. Eric is the most talented runner in the group and is almost a lock. Chris just missed qualifying in the past, but he is in the best shape that I've seen him. I really like his chances. If the other four qualify and I don't, I'll be pissed. Obviously, I'll be very happy for them, but upset that I'll miss the trip with them. Hopefully, I will be able to use this motivation in a positive way.

Well, that's about it. The training is over. The months of preparation are in the books. There's nothing left to do but run the race. Good luck to all of you that are planning to run this weekend. Whether you're doing the 5K, 10K, Relay, Half-Marathon, or the whole thing, here's hoping that you do your best and achieve the results you're hoping for.