Goals -- setting and revising

I have been wrestling with whether to revise my earlier-stated goals for the marathon. I initially wanted to run the race at 175 pounds and finish in under four hours. One of those is not possible and one is still within reach. For some reason, I dropped from 207 to around 190 like clockwork by about halfway through the training program. Then for some reason my weight stabilized and I have not been able to get of off 190 despite increasing my miles and pace. Admittedly, I have not been watching my eating as closely as earlier and maybe that would account for the holding pattern. I can take that one up again in post-TCM life.

The time is a goal that I am still going to shoot for. My training and other long runs have been on such a pace that finishing in four hours is within range. I am going to try to run each mile in about 9:05. (9:08 would actually me to the finish in four hours, but I can multiply 5's better than 8's to stay on pace along the way.) One of the challenges will be to not start too fast. The adrenaline of 10,000 runners and lots of spectators--plus plenty of nervous energy wanting to get burned off--will push me to take off fast. But I would pay for that early exuberance in spades by about mile 15.

I have been trying to imagine what it will feel like to come up the last part of Summit avenue and turn the corner by the Saint Paul Cathedral. I am anticipating a mixture of relief at being so close to the finish line and sadness that this adventure is coming to a close. I'll let you know if my imaginings bear any relation to reality.


By the way, if you want to see other info on the Twin Cities Marathon, the official race link is http://www.mtcmarathon.org/index.cfm