Last tuneup and race goals

This morning, we got to sleep in, and met as a group at 7:45 for a very short (1.7 mile) jog warmup. Some people did the drills afterwards, but many of us went up and checked out the finish line to do some last visualization. We finished it off with some striders (I did 3). Properly warm, we did the long stretching ritual, and there was a huge crowd for that. Seems as though a lot of the casual Gazelles showed up today for last minute words of wisdom, etc.

Gilbert was in a good mood, and announced that he might run the half marathon after all, just for fun. Apparently, his back problems have improved. I made plans with Jan for our run tomorrow, and logistical plans with Frank and Alex for getting to the race start. We're all a curious mix of nervous and excited and fearful. All the pace pods were making last minute plans for race day, including some people making plans that seem, well, a little silly. We'll see how it all works out tomorrow. Jan and I have gone back and forth about whether to start in the Distance Challenge corral up front, and we've decided to do it after all. We'll have to be very focused early as the faster people behind us zoom around in the first 4 miles or so, but it will be nice to avoid that 10 minute wait to cross the starting line.

Weather is supposed to be dry, with overcast skies clearing towards the end of my racing day, around 10:00. Temperatures a little warm, starting in the 50's and warming to over 60 by race's end. Clothing choices will be important. It will for sure be a shorts day. Gloves won't be necessary. I'll wear a cap, I think, but no warm hat. I'll probably start with a long sleeved shirt over my singlet, and ditch the long shirt along the way somewhere. I'll have my waist pack for storing GU and Enervitene, and I can stuff my long-sleeved shirt in there if I don't see a familiar face along the race route.

Race Goals: I have a span of race goals, as is my pattern. The slowest goals are there just in case I have a bad day. Some folks have laughed at the overabundance of these times, but it amuses me to have them ready, so I'm going to use them.

• Emergency Backup Goal: 4:21:17 (9:58 pace), which is my current Freescale course PR and Masters PR. Hopefully, this goal won't be necessary.
• Close but no cigar Goal: 4:01:52 (9:13 pace), my current lifetime PR, set at Marine Corps back in 1992, my second marathon.
• Primary Goal: 3:59:59 (9:09 pace), I'm going out strong to get the 4:00:00 barrier knocked off.
• Scientific Goal: 3:57:09 (9:03 pace), based on an analysis of the Distance Challenge races and their predicted marathon times. This is what my numbers predict.
• Dream Goal: 3:55:00 (8:58 pace), which is the goal Gilbert chose for me.

I ran 4:48:35 last year at Freescale, 11:00 pace, so I know that no matter what, I'll destroy that time. I'm ready to run fast and smart, and Gilbert's training has given me mental strength that I haven't had before. I hope to go out comfortably, and enjoy the downhill trend of the first half without cranking up my HR too much. 1:58:00 - 2:00:00 would be fine at the half marathon mark. Then, I'll settle in through mile 20, and hopefully pick up the effort there for the last 10K. In a perfect world situation, it would be cool to actually pick up the pace starting at the Longhorn Dam, as if it were a training run. I've run the last 10k of this race at least 5 times in training, so tomorrow is when all that knowledge pays off. And, whatever happens, I know I'm on the way to even more improved times in the year ahead, as I continue with Gilbert and stick with a solid running program. Rest of the day is all about relaxation, food, and hydration.