Friday, June 02, 2006

1 day, 21 hours, 39 minutes and counting....


I can't sit still. I just want to run!! My first race, the Covered Bridges Half Marathon is on Sunday morning and I'm ready to go NOW!!! I hadn't planned on quite the taper that I've done this week but I think it'll be fine... my heels, feet, and calves were really tight and a little sore so rest and stretching and light jogging has been about it for me this week.

So, the plan... two weekends ago I ran 10 miles and felt great. 3.1 more didn't seem like much...then last weekend I ran 10 again, in the heat and humidity...and it didn't go quite as well - but it still went. I'm taking that as a good sign - bad last long run=good race, right? Right.

So I'll start off with an easy 10-12 minute warmup run which is what I usually do before my long runs. This race is a point to point race so we park near the finish and they bus us way out into the country so we can run back. I figure if I held between 10:45 and 11:45 min. miles for that 10 mile run, that I'll start off the first 6 miles on Sunday a little slower... somewhere in the 11:30/11:45 range. There's only 1 hill at mile 8 and it's short...Weasel Boy thinks I should stay reigned in until after the hill and then see what I've got...I'm still undecided about this as I felt so good on my training run and making things faster on the second half went well...so perhaps I'll start pouring it on closer to mile 6. Might mean I have to walk up the hill but as you can see from the elevation profile, there's a lot of flat and gradual down so that suits me just fine, especially because I've been training on rollers. I think it's realistic for me to hold 11:00 or just under for at least the last three miles. So that's the plan.

If things go according to plan, the weather will cooperate too. Last year when I did this race for the first time, they took 12 people off the course with heat exhaustion/borderline heatstroke. All the finishing times were super slow, even for the gazelles...we had a full month of cool (40˚F) rainy weather and then race day dawned 90˚F, humid and sunny. It was the first day of hot an no one was prepared. I tossed my plan about 5 miles in when it became about survival and finishing, not about reaching my goal time. I've never felt so bad after a race. But I finished...I was shooting for 2:30 and I came in at 2:55.

So far, the forecast right now is for cloudy, highs in the low 70s and a 20% chance of rain. I'll take that. We'll have to see what unfolds over the next day. I know I can beat 2:55. I'll be thrilled if I can hold 11:27 minute miles to hit 2:30 dead on... but I'd really like to be faster than that. 11:00 min miles would be around 2:24.

Now, I realize I used up my one and only prediction of my finishing time by guessing Bolder's finishing time, to the second. So I'm gonna hedge a little bit and declare that I'd like to come in between 2:30 and 2:20. In the spirit of the Tri blog alliance, I'd like to give everyone else the opportunity to predict my time...

Tri Barb has set the bar, predicting I will PR with a 2:22. Anyone else care to make a prediction? The prize is your choice...either a fresh new blog header, complete with directions on how to put it up, OR an oversized (like 3' x 4') custom made poster of YOU in your favorite triathlete pose (the only catch is that you have to send me the photo - I'll take it from there!!!) So? What say you? Better include seconds too as we could have many winners if ya'll only choose minutes...

1 day, 21 hours, 8 minutues, and counting....

7 Comments:

Blogger Joe said...

Good luck in the big race!

2:47 PM GMT-5

 
Blogger Barb said...

2:22:42

I can already envision another Jessi Stensland blog header in the works!

I hope the morning is cool for you. Tailwinds!

5:13 PM GMT-5

 
Blogger 595 Days said...

Thanks for the comment...encouragement like yours is exactly what I was looking for when I started my blog. Yes, Jessi is the exception to the rule. I had no expectation of getting to my goal in less than 3 months as a matter of fact if I get there in 6 months, I’ll be o.k. with that too. The impatience I’m feeling is more of “I know what I have to do to get there but don’t always want to do the work to get there” attitude. I experienced it when I first started Weight Watchers in 2002, but I managed to get past it (took about 3 months). Come to think of it, it seems to be an attitude I get whenever I’m learning something new, or trying to change some bad habit or going through some emotional crisis. Life really is a mind game!

And yes, we’ll get there! I will be checking your blog often, good stuff. Good luck with your race Sunday! Thanks again!

6:06 PM GMT-5

 
Blogger Scott said...

OMG, I so want a new blog header.

I guess: 2:24:42

Have a great race Spence!

7:52 PM GMT-5

 
Blogger Bolder said...

ok, we set a heat record in Boulder yesterday of 92F. so, i'm thinkin' heat wave. EVERYWHERE. you just can't turn it up in the heat, so, i'mma gone say:

2:29:59

have fun, let your preparation meet your opportunity on race day, at the sound of the gun, be the greyhound, and keep chasing the rabbit till the race is done.

prove me wrong and beat that time!

9:14 AM GMT-5

 
Blogger Nick said...

I am completely confident that you will beat your goal time by a good five minutes. Let's say 2:24:35 AS LONG AS you hydrate and remember that mile 8 isn't the only hill. It's a long way - just run within yourself and control that desire to go all out from the start!!

Good luck, and enjoy it!

UK Weasel

12:35 PM GMT-5

 
Blogger Nick said...

This just in for all of you checking for Holly's result - she came in under her goal time!!!!

Full result here - I can't wait for the report!

http://www.coolrunning.com/results/06/vt/Jun4_15thAn_set2.shtml

Great work!

UK Weasel

3:24 PM GMT-5

 

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