A great race leaves me with a dilemma...

5 weeks left until the Boston Marathon! 

Monday 13th March 2017 

After a hugely successful race at the Bath Half, John and I were up (not as early as planned!) in the morning for a 3 mile recovery run. It's safe to say that our legs were feeling the effects of our efforts- clearly we'd worked hard! I knew it would take a few days to recover from Bath and I was looking forward to the Gloucester 20 mile race on Sunday so I wanted to get lots of slow miles in this week, to give my legs the best chance possible of recovering. 

Run number two of the day was another recovery...4 miles at 9:26 mm pace. 

Tuesday 14th March 2017 

Up early again today to get 3 miles done. The plan called for more but tonight was parents evening - I knew I'd be too tired to run in the evening. 

Also, after parents evening, John and I joined other members of GWR at the ADMF (Arthur Dagger Memorial Fund) Trustees meeting. The ADMF is a charity which was set up in the memory of a former member of GWR who sadly passed away. Arthur was know for his passion for supporting and coaching children, consequently, the ADMF raises money to support future athletes. Having been an enthusiastic member of the GWR committee for over a year now, I was approached by a member of GWR and invited to join the ADMF board of trustees. Being, myself, passionate about teaching and nurturing young people, I was delighted to be invited. 

Wednesday 15th March 2017

Despite having a very busy day yesterday, John and I awoke early and decided to go out for a few extra miles (which turned out to be 5!). In the evening, was our usual GWR club night. 10 miles at 8:07 average pace - the first quickish miles I'd done since Sunday and I was certainly feeling achy still. 

Thursday 16th March 2017

Parents evening round two tonight meant another early 3 miles. Again not as many miles as I'd like but after talking solidly for 4 hours to the parents of 16 different children, fellow teachers will understand, that I just wanted to collapse when I finally got home that evening! 

Friday 17th March 2017

It was VERY difficult to drag myself out of bed this morning. As has often happened on Fridays, we'd planned to do 6 miles...which decreased to 4...and then to 3! Slightly concerned that the spring still hasn't returned in my legs...hopefully they'll be back to normal before Sunday's race. 

Friday lunchtime meant running club! This week was the return of 'Cat and Mouse' the slower children started first and gradually I let the faster ones go and try and catch them. Great fun for everyone and a great workout - especially for my fellow teachers Mrs Powell and Mr Anderson who certainly earned their lunch today! 

After Cat and Mouse, we did some work on running position. I told the children that when I am running, I try to imagine myself in a box (encouraging to keep their arms tucked in neatly by their sides) and that there is a string pulling my head up - like a puppet. We also worked on trying to lean forward slightly when running. I made it into a game where I shouted 'lean back' 'lean forward' or 'good form!' and they had to run in the position I was asking for. This was good fun and also (I hope) got the point across! 

Saturday 18th March 2017

Saturday is Parkrun day! John and I ran to Ashton court - nice and steadily. Before a gentle plod up and down the hill and a steady run back. As much as it is nice to take it easy, it is very hard to restrain myself and not go charging down the hill at full pelt. I did pick the pace up a little on the downhill to stretch the legs out but didn't want to do anything that might jeopardize my chances at the Gloucester 20 tomorrow. John however wasn't planning to race flat out so decided to pick up the pace. 4th place finish and a really good time without even really trying - just goes to show what fantastic form he's in right now. 

Sunday 19th March 2017

I awoke early with that excited pre-race feeling. Despite the fact that both John and the Maestro have been reminding me all week that this is NOT a race but  in face a training run, I knew I was in good form and I also knew (from studying previous year's results) that I might be in with a chance of a good finishing position. With all of this in mind, my initial plan was to work with Dr Dave, Paul and Rob to run a steady 7:15 mm pace for the first 3/4 and then pick up the pace towards the end. Although I did have a sneaky second plan...to see how many women were in front of me and see how many I could pick off during the race. 

We arrived at the race HQ in plenty of time for me to have my usual 5 pre-race wees! 

It was great to see so many GWR members at the race today. All of us using this run as part of marathon training for London, Brighton, Manchester and of course, Boston. 

At the start line, I couldn't help but glance around...not too many ladies I recognised...a couple looked pretty speedy but I thought I might be in with a chance at a good position - very tempting indeed! 

The gun sounded and we were off. We all went off fairly steadily and stayed together forming a great little GWR crew. The first couple of miles of the course contained an out and back section which was perfect for a spot of woman counting! I clocked 8 women ahead of me - my challenge was set; see how many I could pick off during the course of the race! 

The first 3 miles were brilliant. We were running steadily as a solid group and having a little chat as well. It was especially lovely to be running a race alongside John and Marcus who have usually left us all for dust after the first 1/4 of a mile! After mile 3, our speediest friends, sticking firmly to their race plan, left us and pushed on. Dr Dave, Paul, Rob and some newly made friends (from Clevedon and other clubs I can't remember) started to play my favourite game of 'chase the women!' We spotted two not too far ahead so decided to up the pace slightly to catch up with them. Well, that was the start of what became a fantastic race! 

Mile after mile passed and I just felt stronger and stronger. I had a gel at mile 7 (as instructed by the Maestro) and, because I haven't had many gels in training, felt the effects instantly. My whole body almost shock with energy- I was like kids on a school trip after having eaten their lunch! My legs felt like they could run all day and I just kept picking up the pace. It was also around this point when I saw fellow club-mates and brilliant supporters Steve, Kate and Pat. After running Bath last week with supporters pretty much solidly around the entire course, having the majority of this one supporter free, felt rather lonely at times. As a result, hearing the friendly voices of my club mates was just what I needed. Even better, they were telling me that I was currently in 5th position! That info, coupled with the gel was enough to spur me on to the second lap. 

It was a windy day and although I was aware of the wind, unusually, I wasn't especially bothered with it. Similarly, I hardly even noticed the hills and actually overtook people on the uphill section! Before I realised it, I'd passed the 10 mile mark - and all felt great. 

By the time that I passed Steve, Kate and Pat again( at the end of the 2nd lap), I had moved into 4th position. Everything was still going to plan. After finishing the 3rd lap, I was in 3rd position and with just over 1 mile to go, I heard them shout '2nd place is just ahead of you - push on - you can do it!' These were just the words I needed to hear. I upped my pace and chased her down. With only 1/2 a mile to go, I passed her. Not daring to look back, I just kept pushing on as fast as I could in the hope that she didn't have enough left to come with me. 

Turning the final corner, I saw the finish and gave a last push for the line. I finished as the 2nd female finisher and 1st in my age category - well chuffed! I then realised that I hadn't actually looked at my watch for ages so wasn't sure what my time would be. 2:19:21- WOW! Much quicker than I'd planned. 

Again, during the race I didn't really pay too much attention to my pace - just a glance occasionally to check that I was keeping it around the 7mm mark. I was, therefore, delighted when I looked back at my splits to find that I'd actually ran another negative split (my first being at Bath last weekend) and I'd also ran a sub 90 half! Quite amusing when you think that I'd tired to do this for 3 years and then I manage it without even thinking about it as part of a 20 mile race! 

Here's the pace for each mile: 

1 - 7:06

2- 7:12

3- 7:02

4- 7:07

5- 7:05

6 - 6:46

7- 7:01

8 - 6:56

9 - 6:48

10 - 7:12

11- 6:57

12 - 6:54

13- 6:26 (got overly excited on a long downhill section!) 

14 - 6:53

15 - 6:58

16 - 7:03

17- 6:43

18 - 6:46

19- 6:53

20 - 6:17 (my fastest mile - just goes to show how competitive I am - I really wanted that 2nd place!) 

A really fantastic race with an average pace of 6:54. I really surpassed my own expectations. 

This however, leaves me with a dilemma; do I keep to my original plan for Boston (7 - 7:15 mm pace which will give me a time of 3:05 - 3:10) or do I consider altering my race plan with the possibility of crossing that magical 3 hour mark? 

I am genuinely looking for advice on this as the pros and cons seem to balance out! 

Pros of altering my target and going for Sub 3 

• I'm feeling strong - really strong; I've combined upping the mileage with upping my strengthening and conditioning training and having regular physio appointments to ensure that I avoid injury. 
• I ran Bath Half at quicker than marathon pace (6:31) and finished feeling like I had more in the tank. 
• I ran the Gloucester 20 at quicker than planned marathon pace and not too far off sub 3 pace and again, finished like I still had more to give. 
• My average heartrate for Bath was 169BPM and Gloucester was 157BPM - again suggesting that I have more to give. 

Cons of altering my target and going for Sub 3 

• It is very late in the day to be changing my plan - All of my marathon paced efforts, up until now, have been at around the 7mm pace. 
• I've seen first hand how hard it is to get Sub 3 - am I really ready for that on the basis of only 2 strong races? 
• Do I really want to push myself out of my comfort zone and risk not enjoying the marathon as much?
• 26 miles is a lot more than 20! 

Total mileage this week = 60.8