Mental Preparation

I'm just sitting here, mentally preparing for tomorrow's marathon. I've avoided doing so until now, but with 19 hours to go to the start it may be time to focus on the task at hand. Even if you're running slower than you're capable of, a marathon still deserves respect, especially one with a 350 feet killer hill at mile 21.

I'm really looking forward to this now. Anyone reading this is more than welcome to come up and say hello. I will be easy to spot; there will be one really good looking bloke in a yellow top with the balloon for the 3:30 pace group. That's Grellan, of course. The other one will be me.

After all the excitement of the weekend I did nothing but easy running this week, at roughly Dingle pace to get the legs used to that. I got it slightly wrong today and ran a bit too fast without noticing (I don't really check the Garmin during easy runs). I trust Grellan will keep an eye on the pace tomorrow. I've still got a cough and it still sounds a bit scary first thing in the morning but I can tell it's getting better. Niamh confirmed that she is feeling better as well, so I'd say we're all on the mend. It took long enough.

One thing I learned this week is that I need a belt once the weight drops below 145 pounds. My trousers are falling down and I can't afford to buy new ones. Shopping for trousers is a complete pain anyway, half the time they don't cater for my size and I hate the hassle of it all. I guess it's the price I have to pay for being a runner.

The weather forecast for tomorrow looks a bit dodgy; depending on who you believe we either will get wet or just about avoid it. One thing is for sure, there will be no repeat of the heat wave of the last 2 years (relatively speaking, obviously). It's gonna be good fun.

31 Aug

8 miles, 1:03:55, 7:59 pace, HR 145

1 Sep

6.1 miles, 48:07, 7:53 pace, HR 145

2 Sep

5 miles, 39:00, 7:48 pace, HR 147