Chester marathon is just 5 days away! I'm currently in the taper period that drives many people training for a marathon slightly crazy. The desire to run is so institutional at this point that the reduction in miles and running sessions is counter-intuitive. But it's important to trust the schedule and know that the hard work is behind, making the marathon itself a treat to look forward to.
I ran the Ealing half marathon on Sunday. Normally I'd be running this eyes out, full speed but this time I had to treat it as a training session. It helped that I ran it with two work colleagues, one of whom had not run a half marathon before. This meant I was able to pace the race for them which happened to be at a little bit slower than marathon pace. Ideal!
It meant that I was able to really enjoy the run. Soaking in the excellent support from the locals and run with a smile on my face. I even high-fived my wife as we ran past the road junction nearest my house. I hope I'm able to run Chester with a similar smile although I think that may be a tougher ask, especially during the middle tricky miles.
I had hoped to run the marathon wearing my lighter racing shoes. I wore them for the Ealing half but I found they put a lot a strain on my lower legs and feet especially my arches and ankles. So I've decided not to risk it for the full marathon. Not yet, anyway.
We are travelling to Chester on Friday evening. My wife still owns a house there which we are preparing for rental, but until then we can stay there for the weekend. I'll run an easy four miles on Saturday morning and then I'll be ready for the big one the next morning. Fingers crossed!
I've given myself three goals for the run. My A goal is to run under 3:30 which would make me smile like a loon. My B goal is to run under 3:44:46 which is my previous best that I set in Brighton back in 2010 and would still give me a big grin. My C goal is to get under 4 hours which considering I ran the Richmond Park marathon in May in under 3:55 with very poor training and a surprisingly hilly course I think I should be able to achieve.
By the time of the marathon I will have trained for 18 weeks and run 750 miles. More than any other training schedule I've followed. I don't think I've ever been more prepared. I have followed the schedule to the letter, only missing out on about 30 miles for the week that I was in Cyprus when I had to substitute other sessions due to the extreme heat and humidity. I'm quietly proud of myself. My next post will be a race report where I've either achieved goal A, B or C. Or none of them!
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