MCM Update: 5 weeks and counting...

The original plan was to take a day of rest after yesterday's 10K, but my legs wanted to run.  Maybe it was because yesterday's race wasn't even a full 10K or because I carb-loaded like a boss on account of my birthday.  Or maybe it was that after months of running in the Texas heat, today's forecast was just too good to pass up:

My goal was 24 miles, running 2 miles at a time with 30-second walk breaks, just as I had done a month ago.  I wasn't sure exactly what to expect but was pretty pleased with the result:

I learned a lot from this run that will help me when I step to the line 5 weeks from today for my first marathon:

- I can go the distance.  Add walking to warmup and cool down, and I covered 26.2 today.

- I can drink lemon/lime Gatorade with peanut butter GU and Nutter Butters.  I was a little worried about mixing a citrus-flavored beverage with the sweet taste of PB, but it was fine.  No need to carry my own electrolytes on race day.  Hooray!

- I can go over four hours without a bathroom break.  No time for a pit stop on race day!

- I still had something in the tank at the end of 24 miles.  My last full mile was 9:12, and I picked it up to 8:30 for the last .7. 

- I can go faster than I could a month ago.  Granted, I was pushing a little harder today and it was about 8 degrees cooler than the last time I tried this, but I dropped my pace 47 seconds, even going 2 extra miles.  Put another way, I ran 24 miles today, and it only took me 2 minutes more than it had to run 22.  It's even more of a confidence booster when I factor in that last time I made 4 stops to refill bottles and potty (i.e., extra recovery time).  Today, I only stopped once to refill.  If you look at total time elapsed (including when my Garmin was paused for taking care of the necessities), the 22 I ran 5 weeks ago actually took me over 10 minutes longer than 24 today! 

I still have a ways to go to get to the magic 9:09 if I'm going to run a sub-4 marathon.  To be exact, I need to drop another 24 seconds off my pace in 5 weeks.  But that's only HALF of what I dropped off my pace in the last 5 weeks, and I have several things working in my favor to help me get there:

- Five more weeks of training which should include a 4-hour run, a 26.2K simulator, 5 more speed workouts, several tempo runs, and a few easy miles on both roads and trails. 

- Even cooler temperatures.  It was 54 when I started today but 77 by the time I finished.  Over the past 10 years, there have only been 2 years where MCM started at 60 degrees and highs reached into the 70's.  Typically, the average temperature is another 10 degrees cooler (which supposedly equates to a 3% difference in performance).  I really felt the effect of the heat in the latter part of my run and look forward to seeing how I do when this is not a factor.

- A flatter course...I think.  There are a few hills on the new course, but I think the total elevation gain will be less than what I did today.

- Less to carry.  I will probably still wear my belt with my cell phone, fuel, and 10 oz. of water, but bringing just one bottle instead of three will save me nearly a pound and a half.  On a related note, being able to throw GU wrappers away instead of having to put them in a Ziploc bag will save time.  Seems like a small thing, but it's hard to maintain speed while doing that with a sticky mess on your hands!

- Fresh legs.  I have done a quasi-taper over the last couple of weeks due to babying my calf, but I'll have a proper 3-week taper leading into MCM and unlike today, won't have raced the day before.
  
- Race day adrenaline and emotion.  Being a part of such an amazing event with what I hear is an electric atmosphere (and hopefully some hotties I can pace off of!).  Dedicating each mile to someone I know and wanting to do them proud.  Knowing my folks will be waiting for me at the finish line and that when I cross it, I will finally be able to call myself a marathoner.

Hopefully, all these together will help me overcome the challenges of running with 30,000 other people and whatever weather conditions present that day (DC can be windy in October, and although it doesn't usually rain, I've run my share of races when it did). 

But even if not, I am determined to run happy and enjoy the experience.  I'm learning that I enjoy the challenge of training hard and setting goals to work toward.  But I'm also learning that running happy is the most important thing.  If I keep doing that, sooner or later, speed will come. 

5 weeks and counting...