Challenge Accepted

I will be pacing the 4:20 group (9:54/mile) at the Air Force Marathon next weekend. Partly because I was concerned when originally signing up to pace that running the Erie Marathon for a BQ time two weeks prior would take too much out of me, and partly because my pacing the 3:50 group last year did not go well, given the heat of the day.

Thankfully, my recovery from Erie is going quite well. But it looks like the weather will be very warm on Saturday, starting at 62F (the race starts 7 minutes after sunrise) and certainly getting into at least the mid-70s by the time the group is set to finish at about 11:50am.

I did both my long-ish runs (10 miles and 13 miles) this weekend outside to practice the pace some, without having it forced on me by the treadmill -- especially since the conditions are very similar right now. Most people would think that hitting this pace, more than an hour slower than what I just ran, would be a breeze. Not true. There are definitely some speeds that much slower than one's recent fastest that are very easy to hit, but when you go sufficiently slower than that, it's actually very tricky.

These practice runs have helped solidify my likely plan for next weekend. While I'll generally do my usual even effort (so, a bit slower uphill, a bit faster downhill, and average on flats), I suspect that my paces will wind up being a bit too fast compared to desired. Not much where it would be difficult on the group, but enough where I will likely be able to afford to walk through many/most of the water stations. Not only does the brief walk break help one's legs during the run, but it will also make it that much easier for people to take both water/Gatorade that they need to drink, but also at least one cup of water to throw over their heads to try to regulate their core temperature. As is my wont on hot race days, I will be continually exhorting my group to "drink and douse" throughout the race. And during the expo on Friday, I will definitely raise the thought with many runners that they should consider moving back at least 1 or 2 groups compared to what they would otherwise run if conditions were cooler.

While I was starting to feel the temperature a little bit towards the end of my runs this weekend, I didn't have the opportunity to douse. So, hopefully I chose my pace wisely enough so that I hit the target and redeem myself from last year's fail (more than 5 minutes over time). Sure, it was crazy-hot last year, but that expectation should have been factored into my requested group. Live and learn - certainly. Everything should line up well enough that I can come pretty close to "the pin" which, for me, is 4:19:30.