Week of lasts and random thoughts

This is the week of "lasts".  Tuesday was my last track workout till after the marathon.  Thursday was my last midweek 10 miler, till who knows when.  And Sunday will be my last 20+ miler until the race.

I got my race number today in the mail, I'm number 4769.  I think last year I was 3500 something. 

My family is having t-shirts made up again for the day of the race, the phrase on the back is going to be something like "Run Boston Better, Super Fast!"  The "Run Boston Better" is part of the slogan on the race packet and the super fast part is from my youngest daughter Mia.  She always says, "daddy runs super fast."

I still haven't nailed down a race strategy yet.  My wife tells me to stay my pace, I asked her yeah but I don't know what that is yet.  She then will tell me, slower then last year.  Not the answer I like.  I'm thinking this will be the last marathon I will do for a few years so I want to make it my best, so if I went out and just a little better then my personal best and had something left in the tank I would not be satisfied.  I considering going after the pace I ran through the first 20 miles of last year's race, which was 6:30/mile.  And if I'm right and I blew up last year due to fueling and I fuel better before and during the race I should make it the entire way and end up around 2:52.  I did a little research and that would put me in the top 700 of the entire field from last year!  Decisions decisions....

First 5k of the year

Sunday I ran the YMCA 5k in Doylestown.  On Thursday after a great track workout I was looking forward to the race to see what I could do.  Fast forward to Sunday morning, I was laying on the couch at 7am thinking if I hadn't paid for the race already I wouldn't have gone.  The cold I have been battling for nearly 3 weeks came back and was getting worse.  I did run the race, I finished 4th in 16:51.  It was more frustrating that I knew I wasn't 100% and that first place was less then 30 seconds ahead of me, I really feel as though if I had been healthy I could have won.

I did go to the Dr on Monday and he prescribed me antibiotics since this cold has lasted as long as it has.  I'm definitely on my way to recovery today and hopefully I should be nearly 100% for my 24 miler on Sunday.

There are two things that you can't plan for when training, sickness and injury.  Generally you can avoid an injury, but sickness you just hope for the best.  It really all comes down to luck and I've gotten injured and sick during this training period, hopefully I have better luck in the race.  Speaking of the race, there is less then 4 weeks till the big show, I really just can't wait till this weekend is over, that way the next run over 20 miles is race day.