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| My favorite cheerleaders |
I've been trying to limit my checking of the weather to twice a day and so far it looks good:
Sunny. Highs in the low 80s and lows in the low 60s.
I'd obviously prefer cloudy with highs in the mid 70s but I'll take this, it's still better than rain. The one piece of bad news is that it looks like humidity will be about 70% which is not ideal but at least I know in advance so I can prepare myself for it. When I had that kind of humidity at my last marathon in VT in May, I was completely unprepared and didn't hydrate or control my run properly.
A couple of people have expressed concern for me running in Rio because of the protests that are happening there. I honestly don't think it will be an issue. All of the protests so far have been at night and have been announced in advance, not spontaneous. Brazilians are not really morning people so I can't see them getting up early to protest at the marathon. Also, the marathon is pretty small potatoes and I don't think anyone really knows about it except the people running it. That said, we will be careful and aware of what's going on and if there's any danger, I won't run. I promise. Or I'll run faster to avoid any trouble.
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| This is what it's all about |
I had my talk with Coach Christine on Tuesday and she laid out the plan for me:
First 5 miles at 8:30/mile
Second 5 miles at 8:20/mile which puts me at 1:24 for 10 miles
Next 10 miles at 8:15/mile (the race pace I've been aiming for) which puts me at 1:48 for the half and 2:45 for 20 miles
Then the last 10K she would really like me to get down to 8:00/mile but she said that even if I can only hang on at 8:30-I'll still finish in 3:39:00.
So this is completely different from my usual marathon plan which involved going out fast and "banking" time to spend later. It's going to be hard work for me to believe in the new plan and stay slow at the beginning. I think with the drop in altitude (I'm going from 3000 feet to sea level) and all the adrenaline, I'm really going to have to remind myself to go slower at the start. I like having the times all mapped out so that I don't have to be frantically calculating them as I go along, it puts my mind at rest that I just need to hit these mile times and I'll be fine. I think I need to make a bracelet to wear with the times on it or Coach suggested writing it on my arm in Sharpie. We also talked about what to do if I slow down or get off the pace and her main advice was not to panic (which is exactly what I did in my last marathon) and to slowly pick up the pace. It was a good reminder for me that the marathon is long and I'll have time to make adjustments.
The best part of the conversation for me was when Coach Christine kept repeating, "I have a good feeling about this. I think you're really going to turn it on in the last 10K and have an awesome finish." That was good for me to hear, since she knows what she's talking about, she's seen the numbers of how I've performed in training. I have to trust that I put in the work, the money's in the bank, and this is just my chance to show it off. So I got off the phone with her feeling good that I had a plan of action and a coach who believes that I can achieve my goal.
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| I'm going to be glad to see this face on Sunday! |
This taper week has just been long and boring, not much running, me trying not to freak out 100 times a day, and just killing time waiting for Sunday. I've eaten a lot of rice and potatoes and pasta, I'm hoping to bank some carbs for Sunday.
We leave for Rio on Saturday morning and will go to pick up the kit and figure out what is going with the bus to the start. I have received exactly zero communication from the marathon, the only way to find anything out is by checking their website or their facebook page. It doesn't inspire a lot of confidence but honestly it's not that unusual for Brazilian races.
I'll try and update the blog with my results on Sunday but it might not be until we get back to Brasilia on Monday. Here is the website of the marathon if you want to try and check on-line. They unfortunately don't have runner tracking so you can't follow along as I run but they'll put the results up when it's all over.
http://www.maratonadorio.com.br/en/
Thanks for all your love and support and for encouraging me along the way. Keep your fingers and toes crossed on Sunday morning and send positive vibes out into the universe for me.
I got this! BQ here I come!
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