Lucky 13

Saturday morning's 13 miler was an absolutely fabulous run for me. What a confidence booster. The ever-so-slightly cooler weather really made a big difference. And the advice I received from my favorite strength and conditioning expert to take a caffeine pill or drink black coffee an hour before the run helped tremendously with my energy.

With our usual lead coach sunning in Ixtapa, I was the designated leader to take the group out. We started at a 9:30-ish pace for the first mile, then quickly reached the 9:00 minute range. It was me and four other girls in the lead pack, and I kept checking with them to see how they were feeling. Since everyone was feeling good and strong mile after mile, and we were easily staying together, we decided to crank it up in the second half of the run, and every mile was well under 9:00 minutes, with a couple very close to 8:30. A huge negative split. We pushed ourselves, yes, but it can only pay off for us since we all have high aspirations for our upcoming marathons. My running philosophy has always been if you feel good and healthy and strong, go for it on the long runs when you can, because you aren't going to have great long runs every weekend.

I continue to fuel and hydrate with a mix of Smart Water, bottled water, Clif Quench and Hornet Juice powder. Additionally, I take a Gu every 5-6 miles. And another piece advice I received from the expert I noted above, I took my first Gu about 5 minutes before we started running instead of the 15 minutes prior that the instructions on the Gu packet advise. Everything seemed to work together very well, and I ended up with my strongest run of the season. Whether or not I can keep a steady sub-9:00 pace throughout a marathon always depends on the conditions on race day. I've done it before, but since I have three sub-4 hour marathons under my belt, my only remaining goal in my marathoning career is to qualify for Boston. Boston or bust, baby! And to do so, I really have to up my speed and stay consistent. I'm going to take every opportunity I can to do that in my training.

I met up with fellow coach Mark for a solid 5 mile run on Monday morning, which we conquered at a speedy sub 9:00 pace. As noted, it is now a priority for me to continue to push myself in my runs, especially the shorter runs, and get as close to marathon goal pace as possible while maintaining my health (read injury free, knock on wood). This is probably not the recommended training approach for many, but I'm at the point where I have nothing to lose by going for it, and each time I do, I get stronger physically and mentally. After all, the majority of a run/race takes place between your two ears, and a positive approach and attitude is a must.

I plan to get some speedwork in tonight or in the morning, again probably varying from the training schedule a bit...going to try to get in one to two miles at close to an 8 minute pace. We'll see how that goes...

And my new carb-loading meal is a half order of spaghetti and meatballs from Raia's. I'm a little superstitious, and since I've eaten there the past two Thursdays before a long run, and had solid long runs, I will continue to eat there. Plus, it is just darn yummy.

The running coaches had a great social last week at Sonoma. Its nice to hear how other people are doing this season and what their goals are and what marathons they are running. When asked, I always say Chicago and Houston, but never mention the possibility of Boston because I don't want to jinx myself or set expectations too high. Plus, after I turn 39 next year, I get a 5 minute slower qualifying time, which I think is more achievable. I would only have to shave two minutes off my best time, rather than the seven minutes I would need this year. BUT, that doesn't mean I'm not going to try this year if the race-day conditions are ideal for a fast run. C'mon cold weather in Chicago!!

This coming Saturday is our 18 miler. I'm actually looking forward to it. If anything, I'll burn around 2000 calories, which will allow me more freedom to indulge at Mack and Pattie's party on Saturday night. Can't wait!