The Connection Runners

Thoughts on Kalamazoo

Today's Workout: Taper Training - 3 miles @ 9:22 pace

I encountered a small problem while getting ready for what was supposed to be yesterday's today's 3 miler: my iPod was dead. I grabbed my iPod Touch instead, but that, too, ended up failing me at mile 1.5.

Luckily, it's finally sunny here in The Mitten State, and my run was short, so I took the time to think about Kalamazoo and set an official race plan.

If you know me, you know I'm totally Type A and rarely do anything without a plan in place. In addition to setting a goal of completing Kalamazoo in 4:15, I also want to run the race with these mini-goals in mind. Having smaller checkpoints during a long race helps me to break it up mentally.

Run the first half with splits of 9:30-10:00. Starting out slowly and reining in the need for speed will be key to having a successful second half. Even running 10's will give me a half time of 2:11.

Remember what my Ironman friend Tom says: there's no such thing as "banked time". I have to keep this in mind as I run the first half and avoid burning out early, like I did in Detroit in 2009. Sprinting out of the gate, I flew through my first half and ended up wanting to crumple into a ball of sadness and hurt at the end.

Run a negative second half, keeping splits between 9:00-9:30. This is a big goal for me. I know I'll be tired, but I'm hoping that going easy for the first 13.1 will help me out. Running these splits, even at the high end of 9:30's, will give me a second half time of roughly 2:04. Total = 4:15ish.

Walk through water stations every 3 miles. Even if I'm not thirsty, I need to stay hydrated. Additionally, walking through the early stations will help me reign in my splits.

Take a Gu at every 6-7 mile marker. I find I do best when I have Gu about once per hour. Anymore than that, and I want to vom.

Have fun, enjoy the sights and the course, take tons of photos, and be ready to celebrate at the end! 'Nuff said.

Before I sign off to chow on turkey tacos and watching Jeopardy, I thought I'd leave you with some pretty photos of the new bush we planted last weekend while doing Epic Yard Work:

So pretty and springy!

Megan Wants to Know: What do you think about while out on a run?