My 2nd attempt in the marathon is only a few weeks away and there is still a lot of work to do. With only 8 weeks left of real training it is almost a fact that once again I will be running the full far from optimal conditions.
My first time …
I ran my first marathon in February 2008 during the 2nd edition of Tokyo Marathon. My initial goal was to run a 4 minute pace race. However, injury and illness forced me to amend my plans. Sprained my ankle mid November taking over 2 weeks to recover and caught the flu in December which knocked me out for another two weeks. Ended up running less than 150 km on both months. Fortunately my friend Brett, a very experienced marathoner, offered to pace me during Tokyo Marathon. The new goal: To break 3 hours. Incredibly I finished with a time of 2.53.
History repeats itself …
2009 has been the worst running year since I began long distance running in 2006. I have spent half the year injured or sick, with mediocre results in all my races. Fortunately things seems to be going smoothly now. I am been very careful about my health and running form as stumbling now would have disastrous consequences for the upcoming event. Very far from the shape I was in last year. But I still have faith for a miracle to happen in these final weeks.
The new goal …
I really do not know what to expect. I am in better shape than I was 8 weeks before the 2008 marathon. And by the time the race day comes I will – assuming no injuries – be in a lot better shape than I was in 2008.
A 4 minute pace race should be relatively easy to achieve. That would give me a PB of 2.48. Four minutes faster than my debut. Quite an accomplishment. A 3.50 pace race would be a challenge, especially considering my current endurance. That would give me a PB of 2.41 : A very good time. In the next 6 weeks, depending on how training goes, the goal pace will be decided. A second too fast and my body will not be able to stand it … a few seconds too slow and I will finish disappointed.
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