Saturday, February 27, 2010

Gasparilla Marathon Pre Race Thoughts

Race weekend is finally here, and I'll be running my first marathon in less than 24 hours! We're packing everything but the kitchen sink and heading to Tampa shortly to go to the Expo, pick up our packets, and have our last supper :)

My goals for this race are very similar to the goals for my first half marathon:
  1. Start
  2. Finish
  3. Finish with a smile on my face :) 
  4. Pace myself properly so I have enough left to finish strong and run across the finish line.
    • start at no faster than 13 min/mil pace using 1:1 intervals
    • maintain this easy pace and intervals for the first 5-7 miles
    • pick up the pace a bit as I near the halfway point
    • see how I feel after the 1st half, and increase my speed towards a 12:30 average 
    • if feeling good, switch to 2:1 or bigger intervals as I near the finish and possibly run the last 1/2 - 1 mile straight
    • be flexible and listen to my body
  5. Fuel properly so I don't hit the wall: 
    • regular gu or shot blocks before the start
    • gu or shot blocks every 3-4 miles
    • gu roctanes starting at mile 12 or 16
    • water every 1-2 water stops
  6. I'm trying not to set a time goal, but I know I can finish in under 6 hours. 
    • My main goal is to finish with a time closer to 5:30 than 5:45. 
    • The Galloway prediction formula says I should be able to finish in 5:15, but I want to enjoy this so I'm not going to try that. 
    • If I pull of 5:15, great! But I'll be thrilled with anything near 5:30.
  7. And most importantly, HAVE FUN!

4 comments:

The Green Girl said...

Whoo hoo! You are so ready for this, Kitzzy!

Kitzzy said...

Thanks! I feel oddly calm today, except for the occasional outburst to Jason that we're running a marathon tomorrow and my permanent smile :)

Anonymous said...

Have fun!! Sounds like a full day of running. I'd be worried about bathroom breaks, especially with all that water, lol.

Kitzzy said...

They have port-a-potties at every water stop, but I didn't use them. I did feel like I had to pee, but not badly enough to stop and wait in line. Towards the end of the race, I worried I would not be able to get back up if I stopped to use one LOL

Post a Comment

Related Posts with Thumbnails