Friday, December 5, 2008

OUC 1/2 Marathon Eve (+Running Dreams & Wishes)

Tomorrow is the big day, and I am ready! I just wish it would hurry up and get here already as the anxiety of waiting is killing me.

Yesterday I went for my last run before the race. Jason came with me and I left my watch at home. We just ran and talked and walked whenever we felt like it (about every 1/2 mile). It was really nice and liberating. I think we were actually going at a pretty fast clip so I wish I had it timed, but it did not matter. The weather was perfect and I really enjoyed just running. It made me feel great because I can actually keep up with Jason now. I've come a long way since April when I could barely run for 1 minute at a slug like pace.

I guess at this point I should make some kind of predictions about my performance or set some goals. I know I can cover this distance (I've already done it in training), but anytime you go out for a run there are many variables you can't control. What if this is a bad run day? What if the weather takes a turn for the worse? No matter, I shall focus on the positive and do my best. I've been training for this and I know I can do it; it is just a matter of how well. However, just getting to that starting line and crossing the finish line is a huge accomplishment and I will be damn proud of that fact.

Goals for OUC 1/2 Marathon:
  1. Finish!
  2. Run across the finish line.
  3. Pace myself well to be able to finish strong and run at least the last 1/2 mile without walk breaks and be able to sprint to the finish. The plan is to run with my Galloway group using the 2:1 intervals at least through mile 7, then assess how I feel for the last 10k. If I am still feeling strong, I'll speed up or increase the run intervals to 3:1 & maybe 4:1 for the last 5k.
  4. I know with this being my first 1/2 marathon race, I should not be setting any time goals, but I am confident I can finish in under 3 hours. I've averaged this pace or faster in training, and I don't plan to walk as slowly during the walk breaks.
  5. Not-so-secret time goal: Finish in under 2:45. According to Galloway's magic mile predictor, this is well within my reach. I haven't done a magic mile timed trial since the end of September, but I don't want to set too fast a goal and be disappointed. After all, this is my first 1/2 and I don't want to set the bar too high since I want to show a significant improvement at my 2nd in Feb.
Yesterday's TIART at the Runner's Lounge Blog was Dreams & Wishes. I am a day late, but I think this goes well with this post.

My Running Dreams & Wishes:
  • Finish the OUC 1/2 Marathon tomorrow feeling strong and above all have fun!
  • Finish the Melbourne & Beaches Music 1/2 Marathon in February with my dad and show a significant improvement over the first.
  • Finish the Gasparilla Marathon Relay in March with Jason, Dad, and Mom. I think this will be so fun and a great bonding experience, so I hope happens.
  • Run a sub-30 5K.
  • Run a sub-35 5K with no walk breaks (except for water stops).
  • Run a 10k in under 1 hour.
  • Finish a marathon in 2009.
  • Continue to enjoy running for the rest of my life. This is part of the reason I am taking this so slowly and taking my time. I do not want an injury or bad experience to turn me off to running because I am so grateful that I finally converted myself into a runner and I want to continue to improve, be fit, and maintain my new healthy lifestyle.

5 comments:

stevespeirs said...

Good luck in your first half! Sounds like you've done all the training and tomorrow should be about enjoying the occasion and having fun.

Looking forward to reading all about it...

--Steve
--www.runbulldogrun.com

Anonymous said...

Good luck tomorrow! I'm so excited for you. My first one won't be till March, I'm on the "taking it slow" train as well. I am positive you are going to do great, FEEL great, and make your goals.

Can't wait to hear about it and see the pictures I'm sure your family will take!

Anonymous said...

Good luck! That last dream/wish is so smart, I'm impressed that you are taking things slow to have a long running future ahead of you. I know that is something a lot of runners struggle with, expecting awesome results right out the door and thus ending up in the injured list.

Kitzzy said...

Thanks guys! I'll be sure to pay close attention and have a detailed report for you promptly :) I may tweet during the race too :)

Brad "el ZappoMan" HG said...

Good luck on your race! You're gonna do great!

Post a Comment

Related Posts with Thumbnails