This Week's Long Run

Coach Christine Wanted: 6-8 miles with 10 minute strong finish
I Delivered: 7 miles with the last mile at 8:00

If it's on my t-shirt, it  must be true

This was my last long run before the marathon! And it wasn't long at all, only 7 miles so I just relaxed and tried to enjoy it. I was rocking my new USA red white and blue compression socks and I got lots of comments from bikers going by. Of course I have no idea what they were saying but usually they just ignore me so I figured it was my cool socks. I was trying out the socks for the marathon and I decided they were too loose, not enough compression to go 26.2. I'm going to stick with my hot pink or my white heart ones.

I ran out over the JK Bridge, just to enjoy the view and then turned around and came back. I started my fast finish with 1.25 miles to go but that was on a hill so I didn't really get the fast going until about a mile to go. I turned up the gas, tried to relax and enjoy and finished strong! 8:00 for the last mile! I'll take it! If I can crank one of those out at the end of the marathon, I'll be beyond thrilled!

I have my pep talk/strategy session with Coach Christine tomorrow so she can lay out the plan for me for the marathon. I'm glad that she's going to figure all of that and then tell me what times I need to hitting at what points. I think her plan is going to be something like start out 30 seconds slower than race pace and then slowly increase so that the second half of the race will be faster than the first half. I just have to take deep breaths and trust that she knows what she is doing. There's a part of me that is scared that if I start out slow, I'll never be able to pick it up and run the negative splits. Then I think back to the training runs where I did the last half at race pace. I can do this! Trust your training! I will not let my mind prevent me from doing my best! 

I'm working hard to not freak out but it's a struggle. There are lots of cards posted around our house with positive reminders and every time a negative thought comes into my head, I try to push it away and say out loud YES I CAN! To which Gus replies, NO YOU CAN'T! 

Sigh. 

6 more days.