As race day gets closer and closer, it gets harder and harder to not let it completely take over your mind. There are so many variables when training and getting ready for a race.
Especially a marathon. Especially the Chicago Marathon.
Am I training enough? Am I training the right way? Am I ready? What will I feel like on race day at the start? During the race? Or in the last few kms/miles?
And then of course you have the race itself, which has it’s own set of variables.
What time should I get to the start area? Do I have the right pace plan? Do I have the right fueling plan?
You get the idea.
‘Focus on the things you can control.’
That’s what a lot of people say. Well, sometimes, it’s easier said than done to focus only on those things you can control.
And while trying to focus on the ‘controllables’ in the last few days leading up to when I leave has gone pretty well, there are some additional things to consider with this race.
The travel. I’ve traveled for a lot of races over the last several years and many of them have been much further from home. But none of them have been quite as big as the Chicago Marathon. As one of the six (for now) World Marathon Majors, it has it’s own set of variables.
Honestly, traveling to the race feels like a good distraction because Chicago is somewhere I’ve been before and making sure everything is in order for the trip has actually helped take my mind off of the race itself.
However, 50,000 runners and an estimated 1.7 million spectators lining the course, is something I just can’t comprehend yet. This definitely is not going to be a normal morning jog around my neighborhood!
But there comes a time when none of it matters anymore (except for the in-race fueling, of course). That time is when the race starts. No matter what I’ve done up until that point, I’ll have a marathon – 42.195 kms/26.2 miles – in front of me and I will need to do everything I can to trust what I’ve done is enough and stick to the race plan.
Speaking of the race plan…
Coming into the training cycle, I had my sights set on a personal best time, somewhere hopefully below 3:20. But as the weeks went on, things weren’t really coming together as I had hoped, so coach adjusted the plan and more specifically the marathon pace.
So, the race plan is to get into a sub-3:30 pace early – 4:55-4:58/km or 7:55-7:58/mile – and not really think about varying from it until the last 10-12 km (6-7 miles).
Do I have a time in mind? Yes – somewhere at or below 3:30.
Will I be disappointed if I don’t reach that time? Probably.
Will it be the end of the world if I don’t reach that time? Probably not.
Below is a breakdown of my workouts for the final three weeks of the plan (not including race weekend). In my next post, I’ll have a full breakdown of race weekend and, of course, the race itself!
Week 13 (72.4km; 45 Miles)
Monday Easy 10km – After about 40km (25 miles) the last two days, this felt good all things considered.
Wednesday Intervals 17km total (Warmup; 4 x 2km @ 4:15-4:25/km (~6:55/mile); 1 x 800m @ 4:00-4:05/km (~6:25/mile); 1 x 400m @ 3:45-3:50/km (~6:00/mile); 3 x 200m @ 3:30-3:35/km (~5:35/mile) – The last big interval session of the training plan. One key part to this workout was getting into a good rhythm on the 2km reps. Today, this worked out pretty well and I was able to pretty comfortably complete these reps.
Then, it was on to the progressively shorter and faster reps. And with just one rep (albeit a fast one) of the 800m and 400m, it was time to focus on digging deep to get these done. I won’t say that these were easy (because they weren’t), but I was a little surprised that they didn’t feel more difficult. That left just the three 200m reps, which were fast, but having gotten this far into the workout, I knew that I had to push through. Each rep was faster than the previous one and I finished the last one in 3:20/km pace (5:18/mile).
Thursday Easy 10km – Another humid morning, but after yesterday’s workout, it was all about getting the legs moving.
Saturday 25km (15.5 mile) Long Run With 12km (7.5 mile) at MP – After not completing last week’s long run as planned, this was my last chance to get in a longer run with some marathon paced kms/miles. And even though the conditions were similar to last Saturday’s failed long run – overcast, warm and humid, I was very happy and relieved to complete this one. It felt somewhat comfortable for most of it. The last few kms at marathon pace were tough but I was still able to push through and finish them a few seconds faster than planned. With just some easier paced kms left after the marathon paced block, the relief actually began when I still had 30 minutes left in the run because I knew I was through the most difficult part!
Of course, there are other runs between now and raceday, but this one felt like one final chance at a good confidence booster.
Sunday Recovery 10km – With the last long run of the plan done yesterday, it felt good to slow the pace down this morning with just two weeks until race day!
Week 14 (42.2km; 26.2 miles)
Monday Easy 7km – The first of two taper weeks started today, and my legs felts good!
Wednesday 12km Tempo – The very last run on the plan with any marathon paced kms/miles – 8km/5 miles of tempo to be exact. Going into this last tempo run, all I wanted was to feel comfortable at the marathon pace and give myself one final confidence boost that the pace I’m planning to run in Chicago is the right one. And that’s exactly what happened!
In a week with less running than I’ve done in the last couple of months, it felt really good to get the legs moving a little faster and complete this workout feeling the way that I did.
Thursday Easy 7km – With each run, we get one step closer to raceday. This run helped to work out a bit of soreness from yesterday.
Is the race the only thing I think about right now? No, but it’s close.
Sunday 16km (10 Mile) Long Run – Finally. The first crisp/cool morning for a run. Even though 16 km is not a small amount, I felt pretty good going into this run because it was at a steady pace a bit slower than the planned marathon pace. It took a couple of minutes to shake out the cobwebs from not running too much this week. But once that was done, everything felt great. I just focused on enjoying the sunshine and the cooler weather.
Now with just a week until raceday, and only one more short run before I leave for Chicago, my attention is definitely turning towards preparation – sleep, hydration and nutrition. The training aspect of the plan is essentially done. Now, all that’s left to do is get to the start line and try to enjoy it as much as possible.
Week 15 (Not including race weekend)
Tuesday Easy 8km – The last run of the training plan before I head to Chicago later in the week. The first morning that it actually was a cold at the start of my run. And it felt great! Yes, it was easy pace but that wasn’t the point today.
RunPatRun 