Marathon week is officially HERE! Those are some scary words to say. Scary but exciting all at the same time!

I did one of my last few workouts Monday morning. The main goal of the workout was to just keep my confidence up that I could hit marathon pace and to just keep my legs moving a little quicker. I’ve never done short workouts before during taper week, but figured I’d give it a try this time.

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1.25 mile warm up
800 meters (7:24 pace)
1.5 miles at marathon pace
800 meters (7:24 pace)
1.25 mile cool down

It went well and it actually felt nice to cut the run at 5 miles. Plus, it meant that I got to sleep a little later on my Monday morning which is always a win!

 

Tuesday was an easy 5 miles. I just ran whatever felt easy.

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It’s been raining all week here, but as long as the weather stays nice for Saturday that is fine by me!

I’ve got some short and quick strides this morning and then a tiny shake out run Thursday morning and I am done. The next time I will run after that will be on race day morning.

 

I’ve posted about my marathon goals in the past, but I figured since it is offically race week and I now can see where I’m at that I would review and finalize my goals for Saturday.

Marathon racing (or any racing) is tough. There are so many small details that go into have a successful race, and there are time when you can do everything right and still have a bad race. It just happens. However, you have to plan and goal yourself assuming everything will go as planned.

 

Here are the time goals I have come up with for Saturday:

1 – Finish HEALTHY

2 – Sub 4:00

3 – Sub 3:45

4 – Sub 3:35 (Boston Qualify)

 

Just looking at those goals scares me a little. Not because I’m afraid to fail, but looking at where I started those are some lofty goals. I know without a doubt that I’m going into this not afraid to fail. We all take risks and chances when it comes to racing. Sometimes you have to put it all out there knowing that if you are succesful you will reach all your goals, and if you don’t well it’s ok to fail.

My first goal will always be to finish healthy. Over the past several years this has become more and more important to me.

I’ve been training and using Hanson’s Marathon Method with the goal of a BQ. However, that is still my stretch goal at the end of the day. There will be a little dissapointment if I don’t but looking at it realisticly no matter what I run I will  PR and that is always a great accomplishment!

I believe regardless, assuming I don’t get injured or have a HORRIBLE day, I should be able to break 4:00 hours. I have traiend well over that and feel confident in the abilities that I have gained. Each goal after breaking 4:00 hours will be an added bonus!

 

I’ve had some personal goals for myself throughout this week leading up to the marathon.

1 – RELAX

I’ve always been one who really gets worked up for races. It’s usually not a problem but I am really focusing on keeping myself relaxed. Nothing that I do at this point will change the outcome Saturday (aside from proper nutrition).

Due to my work schedule and my husbands we aren’t able to leave to head down to Kiawah (a 5.5 hour drive) until 3:00 pm on Friday. That’s not ideal and has been stressing me a bit. However, I am taking all measures to make sure I stay calm about it. I will have pasta ready for us to eat on the way and  thankfully they offer packet pick up on the morning of, which is a life savor!

I want to get to the start line feeling relatively calm and confident.

 

2 – Nutrition

Proper nutrition leading up to race day is vital for me. I want to avoid any unnecessary stomach problems but assure that I am properly fueld and ready to go.

I always pay attention to an extent, but my goal is to not only pay attention but to make sure I am eating the right things to help my stomach not go crazy come race morning. It’s always a little bit of an experiment, but I’ve been experimenting with a few changes to hopefully help this issue!

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Went and stocked up on my chocolate Gu’s for race day. This marathon is providing any gels so I wanted to make sure I had a stock of the only flavor I can stomach. They aren’t all for me, half are for the hubs!

 

3 – Run a Smart Race

In the past I have always seemed to do the common rookie mistakes. i’ve always gone out too fast, didn’t properly fuel throughout the race and I have always hit the wall too early.

These are all mistakes that I am really focusing on correcting this time around. If I want big results then I have to be prepared to make sure these mistakes don’t happen.

 

There you have it. Nothing really earth shattering but a simple and thought out plan is essential for making sure that I have a successful race. I will go out there and give it my all and the outcome is what it is. That’s really all you can do!

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Trying to remember this as well! Well said Sara Hall!

 

Do you set goals for your races?

Anyone else racing this month?

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