Oct 28, 2011

Stating My Intentions: The Marine Corps Marathon


My "A" goal for this race is sub-5 hours. That's very aggressive, as my current marathon PR stands at about 5:30. I can run all day long averaging 15 minutes per mile, but maintaining an average of 11:30 for 26.2 miles (pace for sub-5), is a much different story.

Unfortunately, as solid as my training has been, I don't think I've had enough long runs to be capable of a negative split, so I intend to plan for a positive split - which means going out a little too fast and banking time. I'm thinking about running 10:45 or so per mile, with a run 10/walk 1 pattern, through the half-marathon point (My half marathon PR's pace is about 10:15, all running), then ease off a bit, perhaps to 11:15, and hang on as long as I can.

At some point - hopefully late in the race - the 5-hour pacing group should catch up to me, moving along at 11:30 per mile. My plan is to let them catch me, then do everything I can to keep up with them through the end.

So that's my plan. My twitter account should actually be updated automatically when I cross 10K, 20K, 30K, and 40K - so you can follow me there (@stevetursi) on sunday morning and get up-to-the-minute updates. No matter what happens, come back next week for an exciting report!

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