So I did a 14 mile training run today while in the 3rd week of my training plan to get ready for the Newport Marathon. I was just trying to keep it within 10-20% of the race pace I hope to run in Newport and was feeling pretty good...until about mile five. Right around there I experienced my very worst fear in running 26.2 miles and trying to keep at a Boston Qualifying pace.
Check out my stats from the Garmin right here - it's pretty clear where I have my issue. After keeping a fairly steady 8:30 pace, mile six and seven clock in around 14:00 and 12:00, and frankly, I'm surprised they were that fast. Considering I spent a fair amount of time in the bathroom at Fred Meyer...
Yes, that's truly my worst marathon fear: trying to run fast enough to qualify for Boston and suddenly having to stop at a Honey Bucket for five minutes in the middle of the race. That can take the starch out of your race right there. Let's face it, I'm not going to have a lot of extra time to fool around with - if I make my BQ time, I expect to barely make it, at best.
I mean, we all know that 26 miles, or even 14, of hard running is not easy on the stomach. You can only eat safely for the days leading up to the race and then hope for the best.
And hope there's a Fred Meyer close by!
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