The funnest part of racing is the not running parts

FIRST - the priority of the day is... SHOES


I've been wearing Saucony's for awhile - Triumph for longer runs, and Genesis for shorter/speed work.

Then I got the Brooks in Seattle, and I've been wearing those mostly for the last month - Glycerine's I wore on my 18 miler a few weeks ago, and the Pure Flow for almost everything else.

I'm a little in love with the Pure Flow, and they are, hands down, the most favorite thing I've put on my feet in forever.

BUUUUUUT. I haven't worn them for a run with any type of length - I think 7 or 8 miles is the max I've put on them at one time.

But they're purple, and match my outfit really well.

I wore the Saucony's for my 9 miles last weekend, and... boo. They're no longer my favorite, and are actually at the bottom of my shoe rotation now - I don't know that I'll wear them again.

WWYD? Chance it in the Pure Flow? Run with the Glycerine's?
These are the things that keep me up at night.
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I AM SO EXCITED to meet up with so many runners this weekend! Seriously. These races are like runner/blogger heaven.

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I was super, super, SUPER EXCITED to spend the weekend in San Francisco with BFF Becka. Sadly, a good friend of her's passed away this week.

I don't really know what to say, because, I'm pretty verbally awkward, and OBVIOUSLY I'd love to see B, but I completely get that her head is somewhere else and understand if she can't make the trip.

Words don't really seem adequate, so in place I texted her a ridiculous picture I saw on the internet machine.

Which is my way of saying, I'm sorry you're hurting, and hope you find the peace you need. And don't feel obligated to me in any way, I'm totally capable of running on my own or finding a new pace friend.

Boo.

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It kind of snuck up on me, but San Francisco Marathon is this weekend!

Did you know? A marathon is still 26+ miles?

And that you have to actually propel yourself on your feet through all of those miles?

Madness.

So, as kind of evidenced by an incredible lack of blogging lately, I'm feeling kind of undertrained and nervous. I haven't run a ton, because July has been pretty busy for me. Also because I'm lazy.

I don't know. I feel like the 5 weeks between Seattle and now was just an awkward amount of time to recover, maintain mileage, and taper, especially when you add in the week in Florida where I boycotted running through the swamp air. Poor planning on my part, but not really, since none of it could be changed. Well, except for the part where I'm lazy and didn't run. I guess that was in my control.

Anyway, needless to say, I don't really have goals for this race as far as finishing at a certain time (except for the 6 hour course limit. THAT is important).

What I'd REALLY like to do, is run a mentally strong race.

In Seattle, my brain shut down and I quit, well before my body gave up. I went in thinking that ANYTHING was possible with my body - who knows what the weather will be like, what if Jerk Shin is wonky, the hip that gave me troubles in Ragnar and PCRF, who knows. It didn't really occur to me that my mental game was going to be the first to give in. I never considered that an option.

But now that I know that it is, in fact, an option.... well, now I know. And hopefully I won't just quit.

So that's my goal - don't quit, and ignore my brain.

I know that the course is tough, and that I'm ill prepared for the hills - and yeah, I have a coach, but it's totally not her fault I sucked at following her carefully laid out plans.

A small PR wouldn't suck, either. But pretty much, if I run ANY of miles 22-26, I should nail that...

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Join the Panic Party....

First, I want to apologize in advance to the lovely woman that agreed to run with me. I’m a crazy person. I can’t help it. The crazy cannot be contained. I’m sorry.

Super Duper Extra Special Lofty Goal: 2:15

• It’s not entirely outside of the realm of possibilities. The Jesse at Journey Thru Life did it just last week, and we seem to be pretty similar paces.



• That’s a 10:18 avg pace. That’s definitely a steep goal for me, looking at my training paces. HOWEVER. I seem to always finish long runs with a giant kick. I mean, like 1-2 min per mile faster for the last few miles. Obviously I’m not running my long runs to my fullest potential.



• IF I pace smart (haha), and everything falls into place, and the stars and planets all align *just so*, this is a time I wouldn’t be sad to see.

Reasonable Goal That Would Definitely Please Me: 2:20

• Remember, back in May when this was my goal pace, and I completely sucked at pacing myself AND choked AND it was hot AND AND AND? 2:20 seems pretty doable now, but really.



• 10:41 avg pace. Not super scary.



• I’ve kept my long runs at slow, easy pace on purpose. My long, easy pace always ends with me kicking it up the last few miles, because I’m ready to be done. But, my long run paces have gone from 11:44, to 11:33, to 11:16. That last 11 miler, went like this…. 5 miles @ 11:49, 3 miles @ 11:20, 3 miles @ 10:00. (Of note, that last 3 miles is faster than my 5K PR)
  

Don’t Die Goal: 2:30

• To be honest, I’m not even printing out a pace band for this goal, THAT’S how confident I am. Take THAT, taper nerves.



• Both my race buddy and I have never broken 2:30, so it would be a PR for both of us.



• 11:27 pace. I’m confident we will BOTH kill that.

Other quirks that may force my race buddy to ditch me at mile 2

• I think I'm going to aim for a comfortable 4:1 run/walk for the first several miles. It takes me a few miles to warm up, and I train ALL of my long runs as a run/walk.



• Probably somewhere around mile 6, I'll switch this up to a 4:30/:30 ratio. That's what has worked for me in the past.



• And then, maybe, kick it up more around mile 11. We'll see.



• It's forecast to be EFFING HOT. I hate the hot. And the sun. That damn sun wrecks my life. Hopefully we'll run fast enough we really beat the heat. It could happen.



• I think I'll carry my handheld, just in case. I hate feeling like I'm thirsty. Absolutely hate it. I know there are a billion water stops on the course, but I don't care.



• I also might walk at water stops. I like them.



• The fueling plan that has worked for me on long runs: GU at 45 minutes, margarita shot blocks at 1:15, and another GU at 1:45. I know that seems like a lot to a lot of people, but hello, a LOT of people are way faster than me. Plus, I sweat like no other in the sun, and I am a damn salty sweater-er. Those margarita blocks work wonders for me.



• I will try not to slow us down by peeing. But be warned, I have the bladder of a teeny, little bitty turtle. Sorry, again, in advance.



• I cannot talk while I run. It's just not possible, I just am not smart enough or something. I can't make my brain talk at the same time as I'm making my legs move fast(ish). You're welcome to talk to me, but please don't be offended if I don't answer you with more than one syllable.



• Except for occassionally when I decide that I've gotten my second wind and want to run fast AND talk. I apologize if that happens, because it's almost manic and out of my control. I just assume that's when my brain stops working.

Okay. I think that's all. Please don't hate me. Or direct me off course so you can run in peace.

Good luck this weekend, racers!