Ugh, ugh, ugh! The weather forecast for Monday is not good. It will be very hot and sunny. The temperature predicted for Hopkinton, where the race starts, is 70 degrees. It will be 85+F by the time runners make it to Boylston Av. Basically the worst possible weather for marathon runners :(
Training for a marathon requires a lot of time and effort. We control (or at least try to control) what we eat, how we hydrate, how we rest, and how we train for 16+ weeks, hoping to have a breakthrough performance on race day. Yet the marathon and mother nature sometimes have something in store for all of us. They have things that we can't control. We -marathon runners- don't like things that we can't control. One of them is the weather.
There is not much marathon runners can do about a hot day. It's not a matter of being tough or pushing through it. When the body's temperature increases it recruits blood and oxygen to the surface of the skin to help cool you down. It's an internal mechanism to regulate the body's heat. When the blood and oxygen is forced to the skin, it is taken away from the muscles so they cannot work as hard as they would normally and the body slows. That's the fact. Period.
So the question is how much should I slow my pace down to make it in one piece to the finish line? Well, I honestly don't think I can run a 7:20-7:30 pace for 26.2 miles in those conditions. I am coming back from injuries and my stamina is not peaking yet. So I am going to err on the side of caution this time. I am going to go slow, very slow. Maybe 7:50 or even 8:00 per mile. That will put me in what should be an easy (that's what I hope) 1:45:00 half marathon. By going conservative in the first half not only do I hope to be feeling good coming the toughest part of the course (miles 15-21), but it will also allow me to finish in 3:30:00 or so. Not my best performance, but not bad at all given the expected conditions.
I already said that I just want to feel good... I don't know if that will be possible given the weather. But at least I want to run a "smart" race. I need to save my legs, my body, and my mind for other races. Boston is a goal that I have had for a long time, but it is neither the only nor the last one. Of course, I want to finish. But I want to finish in one piece. Running "smart" means using this "log run" as a base for future races. I have not even made it to Boston but I am liking how I am approaching this marathon.
I know the conditions won't be good and I am going to do something I haven't done in my previous races. I am going to ENJOY. Rather than complaining and stressing out about the weather, I am going to enjoy every single minute of my trip to Boston and the race. I am going to run a comfortable pace, chat with fellow runners, give high fives to the spectators, and relax. I will always be able to find other marathons with better weather and easier courses to run a PR. I don't know if I will ever run Boston again...I am going to make the best out of it.
Training for a marathon requires a lot of time and effort. We control (or at least try to control) what we eat, how we hydrate, how we rest, and how we train for 16+ weeks, hoping to have a breakthrough performance on race day. Yet the marathon and mother nature sometimes have something in store for all of us. They have things that we can't control. We -marathon runners- don't like things that we can't control. One of them is the weather.
There is not much marathon runners can do about a hot day. It's not a matter of being tough or pushing through it. When the body's temperature increases it recruits blood and oxygen to the surface of the skin to help cool you down. It's an internal mechanism to regulate the body's heat. When the blood and oxygen is forced to the skin, it is taken away from the muscles so they cannot work as hard as they would normally and the body slows. That's the fact. Period.
So the question is how much should I slow my pace down to make it in one piece to the finish line? Well, I honestly don't think I can run a 7:20-7:30 pace for 26.2 miles in those conditions. I am coming back from injuries and my stamina is not peaking yet. So I am going to err on the side of caution this time. I am going to go slow, very slow. Maybe 7:50 or even 8:00 per mile. That will put me in what should be an easy (that's what I hope) 1:45:00 half marathon. By going conservative in the first half not only do I hope to be feeling good coming the toughest part of the course (miles 15-21), but it will also allow me to finish in 3:30:00 or so. Not my best performance, but not bad at all given the expected conditions.
I already said that I just want to feel good... I don't know if that will be possible given the weather. But at least I want to run a "smart" race. I need to save my legs, my body, and my mind for other races. Boston is a goal that I have had for a long time, but it is neither the only nor the last one. Of course, I want to finish. But I want to finish in one piece. Running "smart" means using this "log run" as a base for future races. I have not even made it to Boston but I am liking how I am approaching this marathon.
I know the conditions won't be good and I am going to do something I haven't done in my previous races. I am going to ENJOY. Rather than complaining and stressing out about the weather, I am going to enjoy every single minute of my trip to Boston and the race. I am going to run a comfortable pace, chat with fellow runners, give high fives to the spectators, and relax. I will always be able to find other marathons with better weather and easier courses to run a PR. I don't know if I will ever run Boston again...I am going to make the best out of it.
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