Everyone deserves a second chance. Perhaps maybe even a third.
As miraculous as my last 20-miler may have been, it's definitely not something I want to hinge my confidence on when I toe the line for 26.2 in a little over a month. I certainly don't want to give lady luck all the credit for all the hard work I've done over the last 11 weeks. No way! The only kind of luck I believe in is when preparation meets opportunity. So in honor of that, this weekend's long run will be a dress rehearsal of sorts.
Week 12 of my 16-week marathon training program will be capped off with a 22-miler, the farthest distance I'll be running before I slowly taper down. With three 20 mile runs under my belt over the last 8 weeks, I'm confident I'll be able to push the distance while maintaining my target marathon pace of 7:00/mi. Believe me, I know how ridiculous that sounds and even just typing it out scares the crap out of me! But that's exactly why I need to execute well on this "test run". I truly believe that my body is already there, it's my mind that needs reassurance. This is the run that I want to hinge my confidence on.
So here's the plan. Like I said, this will be a dress rehearsal of sorts so aside from weather conditions, I'll do everything I can to simulate the race logistics including carbo loading, pre-race meal, nutrition/hydration during the race, music playlist, and race attire. I''ll be starting my run at 5:00 am (the official start time of the marathon), a little past mile 3 of the course on Ward Ave. and Kapiolani Blvd., just a half-mile walk over from my house. The plan is to stay on the marathon route through Ala Moana/Waikiki and out to Kahala/Hawaii Kai and back, with mile 22 ending near the Diamond Head lookout just before the final stretch home. With a 28-ounce capacity split between two bottles on my FuelBelt Revenge R20 hydration pack, the many water fountains along the route, and a couple of extra bottles of EFS that I'll stash just before mile 16, I'll have more than enough liquids to keep me hydrated. Nutrition by way of four GU Roctanes taken every 45 minutes and four Endurolytes taken in between gels will be stashed in my side pockets on my tri top. I'll also take along a couple of sponges to place over my chest area for when things start to heat up. I've used this cooling method under the Kona heat with great success so I'm hoping this will help keep my core temperature in check. With APEC ongoing this week, I plan to scout the first 4 miles of my route through Waikiki tomorrow to make sure I can get through without a hitch. Otherwise, plan B will be a modified route starting from Triangle Park out to Hawaii Kai and back with a couple of out and backs to start and end with.
Other than fine tuning everything that I've been doing successfully in training, my overall goal is to take mental notes all throughout the course of the run— much like a review session for the big exam. Now if you think I've gone way overboard with my quest to qualify for Boston, there's a very good reason for that. Let's just say the stakes have gone up, tenfold.
Or more fittingly....sevenfold. I'll put the details on blast right here some time next week, just need to dot some I's and cross some T's. Will definitely be calling on all of you for your help and support. Stay tuned folks!
As miraculous as my last 20-miler may have been, it's definitely not something I want to hinge my confidence on when I toe the line for 26.2 in a little over a month. I certainly don't want to give lady luck all the credit for all the hard work I've done over the last 11 weeks. No way! The only kind of luck I believe in is when preparation meets opportunity. So in honor of that, this weekend's long run will be a dress rehearsal of sorts.
Week 12 of my 16-week marathon training program will be capped off with a 22-miler, the farthest distance I'll be running before I slowly taper down. With three 20 mile runs under my belt over the last 8 weeks, I'm confident I'll be able to push the distance while maintaining my target marathon pace of 7:00/mi. Believe me, I know how ridiculous that sounds and even just typing it out scares the crap out of me! But that's exactly why I need to execute well on this "test run". I truly believe that my body is already there, it's my mind that needs reassurance. This is the run that I want to hinge my confidence on.
So here's the plan. Like I said, this will be a dress rehearsal of sorts so aside from weather conditions, I'll do everything I can to simulate the race logistics including carbo loading, pre-race meal, nutrition/hydration during the race, music playlist, and race attire. I''ll be starting my run at 5:00 am (the official start time of the marathon), a little past mile 3 of the course on Ward Ave. and Kapiolani Blvd., just a half-mile walk over from my house. The plan is to stay on the marathon route through Ala Moana/Waikiki and out to Kahala/Hawaii Kai and back, with mile 22 ending near the Diamond Head lookout just before the final stretch home. With a 28-ounce capacity split between two bottles on my FuelBelt Revenge R20 hydration pack, the many water fountains along the route, and a couple of extra bottles of EFS that I'll stash just before mile 16, I'll have more than enough liquids to keep me hydrated. Nutrition by way of four GU Roctanes taken every 45 minutes and four Endurolytes taken in between gels will be stashed in my side pockets on my tri top. I'll also take along a couple of sponges to place over my chest area for when things start to heat up. I've used this cooling method under the Kona heat with great success so I'm hoping this will help keep my core temperature in check. With APEC ongoing this week, I plan to scout the first 4 miles of my route through Waikiki tomorrow to make sure I can get through without a hitch. Otherwise, plan B will be a modified route starting from Triangle Park out to Hawaii Kai and back with a couple of out and backs to start and end with.
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Other than fine tuning everything that I've been doing successfully in training, my overall goal is to take mental notes all throughout the course of the run— much like a review session for the big exam. Now if you think I've gone way overboard with my quest to qualify for Boston, there's a very good reason for that. Let's just say the stakes have gone up, tenfold.
Or more fittingly....sevenfold. I'll put the details on blast right here some time next week, just need to dot some I's and cross some T's. Will definitely be calling on all of you for your help and support. Stay tuned folks!
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