This is the first time in a long time I actually am having pre-race jitters. I haven't "raced" a race since last October and even then I was starting to feel the IT band injury. So post wedding marathon, it was two months of no running and then super slow return to mileage. So this Saturday will be my first attempt to "race" in about 6 months. #1 I just want to be able to run hard and NOT feel the injury and #2 potentially pull a new PR.
I never thought a new PR would be possible this spring since my running has been so restricted but there might be something to that "less is more" mileage plan. At least while recovering for me. My paces have been sub-9:00 for most of my runs and I've been feeling good. Every run I feel pretty fresh so I'm excited/nervous to see what happens. It's the Goldy's Run 10-mile. Pretty flat and I get to try out pacers this time around.
Mark and I have both decided we are going to try to use the pacers in marathon training this year. Unfortunately I think my ideal pacer pace for Saturday would be 8:15min/mi but they only come in :30 sec intervals. Last weekend we went for a long run and without pushing myself too hard I think it was fairly clear that trying to stay with the 8:00 group would be much too fast. But the 8:30 group might be too easy. To PR, I need to beat my previous PR pace of 8:26 so my plan to go for a new PR but also see what it's like to run in a pace group is to run with the 8:30 group for the first 5 miles and then, provided everything including the left knee/IT is feeling good, I'll break from the pack and rev it up a bit for the second half.
Mark: I am also hopefully will be trying for a PR. Granted my PR for the 10 mile is over three years old, 100% Irish in 2008 and I am a much more experienced runner since then. 2008 was my first full season of running, having run my first race on Thanksgiving of 2007. Since my 10 mile PR, I have run 4 other 10 milers, but the focus has been running with Kris and this will be my first opportunity to try out the legs and see what I can do. McMillian says I can do it in 1:11:33 (based on my 1 mile PR) Not sure I am up to that but I think I can manage a sub 1:15, it might just depend on how I feel on Saturday. This past Saturday when Kris and I were testing our legs I actually set a PR during my training run so I am feeling good going into this weekend.
Like Kris mentioned I am also going to be running with the pacers to start out with, and somewhere in the back of my mind I wonder if that is a true test of what I can do but yesterday the new Runners World showed up in the mail and there was a big article about "Rabbits" who are essentially paces for the elite runners of the world. So if they can do it and set World Records, then I certainly can set a PR with a pacer. Did you know that when Roger Bannister broke the 4:00 minute mile he had two rabbits to help him.
Feedback anyone??? Runners please comment if you have either
- Come off an injury that had you not running for a few months or
- Had a good/bad experience with starting to use pace groups to set new PRs.
well that worked out well. :)
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