20 Miler Course Recon

I drove the 20 miler course today, and it will be an interesting test. No giant hills, but lots of rolling terrain and some sneaky long inclines. A fair amount of hilly stuff in the first 3 miles of the loop (which will also be miles 11-13 in the race). Wind may be a factor as well, with lots of wide-open terrain and country roads. After Decker, Pervasive and Motive, it seems to be not so bad, but for a 20 mile race, that second loop will be interesting. I still think my plan will be to go out nice and easy, maybe as much as a minute slower than marathon goal pace, at least for the first 5 miles. Then, I'd like to shift to MGP for the next 10-12 miles, steady as she goes, and try to pick it up for the last 3 miles, more or less like we do on all of our long training runs. I want the mental lift that will come from being able to pick it up a little when I'm tired. Weather may be a bit warmer than we'd like, but otherwise, it should be a nice race to do. With an easy 2 mile warmup and maybe 1-2 miles of super easy cooldown jogging, it will be a long day, but basically just what the doctor ordered. This will be a great chance for a full marathon rehearsal.