Well here it is…in 6 hours and 40 minutes I fly to Tulsa and in 42 hours and 52 minutes I’ll be undertaking my first ever Half Marathon. To say I’m nervous is an understatement. I mean it is 13.1 freaking miles. I’ve never ran that far. I have done over 9 miles a few times but this is way more than I have ever run before. I keep reminding myself it is only 4 more miles ….I can walk 4 miles.
Can I do it?
Absolutely! On the days that I have ran the 15Ks I usually had a long walk to start line and from the finish line so yes technically I have done 13 miles before. But 4 of those miles were not in a race setting. So it doesn’t really count. One thing is for sure, I have not had a DNF (did not finish) and I don’t want one this weekend!
Fueling?
Well I haven’t had much training with trying to fuel. I’ve been using Sports Beans (energy jelly beans from Jelly Belly). I’m not a big fan of jelly beans but I’d rather chew on them than those nasty gels. I also found what I think will be my secret fueling option….M&Ms. I know crazy. But during the Chicago 15K, around mile 7.5 they gave us M&Ms and they were the best thing in the world at that point and time. I was sick of my jelly beans and it was a welcome change from fruit punch flavor. So I need to figure out where to stash a pack of plain M&Ms.
Ultimate Goal?
Well obviously my first goal is to finish in the upright position. Secondly, I’d like to beat Phil to the finish line. (Eric’s brother, Phil, is running the full marathon, he averages 4 hours so I should beat him but nevertheless, it is my goal to beat Phil). My personal goal is under 3 hours. If it is 2:59:59 I will be thrilled. If it is over 3, I will still be thrilled!
What’s the Plan?
My plan is simple. Try to not kill myself in the first 6 miles (Note to Eric…don’t go out too fast on me like you usually do!!). I’m hoping not to lose too much time on the later miles. I can run a consistent pace for about 6 miles after that I’m crap. So if I can keep the first 6 miles around 12:45 pace (which is close to my training pace) I should be able to finish it under 3. To do the math for you, after mile 6 I would have to average a 14:40 to make it across the finish line in less than 3 hours. That is practically a walk! If I keep thinking that it helps to calm my nerves. But to be honest I don’t want to walk 7 miles so I’ll be run more than that. Also I hope that my argument with Eric doesn’t happen until Mile 11 or 12. I can’t have it happen during mile 6 like in Chicago.
Bib
So I looked up my bib number and I love it.
11411.
So to most people it is just another number. But to me it is a whole lot more. I like it because the 1+1+1+1=4. Awesome! It is a palindrome (sequence of characters which reads the same backward or forward). And, as my niece Danielle informed me, it is a PRIME number. It must mean I’m primed to have good race. Haha. I have joke to take the edginess off!
Pray for me! I need it.
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