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My strategy for this weekend's Clinton Lake 30-Mile Trail Race? Simple--don't treat it as a race. I'll go out slow, then taper the pace. Nice and easy from start to finish. It'll be an extra long run in preparation for the Illinois Marathon (4 weeks later). To achieve this easy pace, I'll need to keep my competitive instincts in check. That means I'll need to start in the back of the pack and connect with a fellow runner. Great opportunity to relax and get to know a new runner...or glom onto someone I already know! Maybe Tom Rice? I'm predicting a finish somewhere betwen 7-8 hours. That could be Tom's pace. The race cut-off is 8 hours, so I'd like to beat that time and have a recorded finish rather than a DNF. Maybe I can shoot to be the dead fucking last (DFL) runner. We all need goals, right? Here's another personal goal...drink lots of home-brewed beer at the finish line...or even during the race. I've been "practicing" this week.If all goes well at Clinton Lake, I'll be able to jump into last minute training for the Illinois Marathon. With only 4 weeks to the marathon, I'll basically be done with long runs and simply concentrate on marathon paced efforts and a few shorter tempo type runs. Boston might be calling my name on April 25.
4 comments:
Any thoughts on pacing myself at Illinois Marathon based on my finish at Clinton Lake? I did the first two loops in 3:51:08. I've still not pulled the registration trigger for Illinois.
David,
Not sure what you were thinkign about for Illinois marathon, but I found that 2 good training loops (actually trying) at Clinton are close to predicting a road marathon finish. I think the first 2 loops at Clinton Lake race are similar--but maybe a bit slow in predicting since you know you still have another 10 miles to go and are holding back. So, with 3:51 as first 2 loops, I would say your are around a 3:45 marathon finish at Illinois. Is that good or bad for you?
Never run a single road marathon, or road race beyond 5k for that matter (not since 2012 too). I've been asking around just to set a lower bound on a "reasonable" time for my first marathon. I had thought aiming for 4 hours might be reasonable, and seeing how I feel toward the end. You looked like you were having plenty of fun at CL, too. Good to briefly meet you at the start line. Thanks for sharing your race reports over the years!
David,
I think sub-4 would be a reasonable goal. Probably too easy. You could probably run around 3:50.
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