A fairly ho-hum morning. I did my 2mi shakeout and ran opposite of this guy on the Reservoir. You may heard of him …
Umm … 2008 Olympic and 2x Chicago Marathon winner. Sammy Wanjiru.
So if you have followed me this far, you might be interested in how I manage during tomorrow’s race. Below is the tracking info to help you … if you want to help me, please scream at me on the course or at your phone, computer screen or anything else. I will feel the vibes …
Bib: 14242
Team: Central Park Track Club – New Balance
Tracking Site: ING New York City Marathon Athlete Alert
Live Coverage at Universal Sports
Race Strategy. Yes, it’s my first marathon. Yes, I’m supposed to enjoy the experience, the spectacle of it all. Blah, blah, blah. I did not suffer thru freezing temperatures in December, or get completely humbled at my first CPTC workout or trash myself thru intervals in 98 degree weather to “enjoy the experience.” Does that mean I expect to do something special tomorrow? No. I expect 3 things beginning at 9:40am ET tomorrow in Staten Island. Control. Believe. Compete.
Control. Start – Mile 10. Goal pace: 7:45. I intend to go out 10 seconds slower than MP to preserve energy for the balance of the race. Even though my starting corral is only among the 1st 20% of participants, it will be a blessing in disguise to go out slower in a crowded setting [Note - peak into 2011 goals: get fast enough to qualify for local competitive corral]. After the spectacular and likely very emotional start, the hill that is the Verrazano-Narrows Bridge will provide a nice reminder to ease into this thing. The other key here is fuel, fuel, fuel.
Believe. Mile 11-20. Trusting the training will be the theme. I intend to drop to 7:30-7:33 pace. I imagine mile 11 might be challenging to get comfortable with that turnover, but if I hydrate smartly during that those first 5 miles (water, Gatorade, GU), I should be encouraged by others around me slowing down because they hammered to early. Nothing is more energizing that passing people. I will likely draw up the 2 x 4 mile tempo which gave me the confidence that I can recognize pace and get quicker when I need to. This portion of the course is tough as it includes 2 hilly bridges, but does end with the explosion of noise on 1st Avenue back in Manhattan. Believing in the training and all the 20s and tempos and speedwork. Believe.
Compete. Mile 21-Finish. Guts. Guts. Guts. I have no idea what I will have at this point. Hopefully something. Given all the sacrifices and time invested by others in me, this is just about digging deep and competing against the pain. Compete.
So what are the goals? I respect the distance too much to toss out a number. I’ve trained at a certain pace, feel good about my race strategy and have tapered well.
IT IS SHOWTIME.