3:35:00 to 3:45:59

 Training is done.

Well, pretty close to done.

Now it is time to talk goals.

I will break this down into some sections. First, the most obvious:

TIME GOAL
I will be gunning for a 3:35 finish.  This will be a 25 minute PR and will take nearly an hour and a half  off my first New York Marathon finishing time.  This is my official declaration of my "A Goal." This is lofty.  However, I was able to nail 10 Yasso 800s  at 3:35 and I am completely comfortable at an 8:15 to 8:10 pace for longer, yet faster runs. My tempo pace is a minute faster and I can keep that up in hilly San Francisco.  So I should be able to hit my goal.


I am going to run the first mile at whatever pace I get to over the bridge, the next 3ish at a slower (8:30ish) pace and then pick it up to 8:20 to 8:10 until the half.  I will then keep it 8:10ish until mile 20 and let it go to about a 8:00 to 8:05.  The last mile is going to be all out. 

I am a bit nervous about this goal. It is fast. Cutting 25 minutes off your PR isn't unheard of, especially after the kind of training I have been doing over the past year, but it is pretty extreme. Therefore I am keeping an open mind to my approach.

Also, I am going to listen to what my legs are telling me and if they say no, I will listen.  I will be consume at least five Chocolate GUs and a few handfuls of pretzels.  I am thinking about carrying my neat new Sports Basement Bottles to avoid the craziness of water stations. (Either of you can give me a sponsorship if you like.)

All of this said, I am going to be happy with anything faster than 3:45.

To review:

• A Goal - 3:35
• B Goal - Break 4
• C Goal - Don't Die

EVENT GOALS
Last time I ran the New York Marathon I was terrified, and rightly so.  This time I am ready and excited.

I have read a number of books about or using running as a central theme this year.  Everyone of them said that when the runner was smiling, he was running efficiently and fast.  So I am going to smile more this year instead of making this face, which I did a lot in 2010.

Pain. And 9 miles to go.

I am going to have fun.  If I can't keep my pace, I am going to slow down and have fun. Running this race well is more important the the PR. Yeah I know, I won't think that as I am dying trying to break through the wall as I slog up 5th Ave, but I will say it now and try to stick to it.

PICTURE GOALS
I recently got to hang-out with my new friends Kara and Shalane at the Nike Women's Marathon.  Clearly we are going to hang-out again when they are finished with their 5K "Dash to the Finish" on the Saturday before the marathon. Let me have this one, ok?

Part of the reason why I started running was because in 2009 Meb won the New York City Marathon, the first American to do so in like a million years.

Meb winning.

Meb is personification of the American Dream and I respect him for his drive and his continued ass-kicking abilities.  At 37 years-old he came in first in the Olympic Trials and 4th during the London Games.  I am pulling for him almost as much as I am gunning for my PR.

So, I want a picture with Meb. Much in the way it happened with Kara and Shalane, I will need to be in the right place at the right time.  It is doubtful and if I miss this goal, I think it will be just fine with it...but a boy can dream.  GO MEB!

I am ready.