Toronto Marathon - The Progress

Original Plan

Week 1: 16K run
Week 2: Sprint Triathlon (features a 7K run)
Week 3: 20K run
Week 4: 23K run
Week 5: 160K bike (Ride for Karen)
Week 6: 26K run
Week 7: 29K run
Week 8: 32K run
Week 9: 20K run (taper start)
Week 10: 13-15K run
Week 11: Toronto Marathon, 42.2K

I'm currently at week 7, and I've stuck to the plan exactly! Everything is feeling pretty good. As I said in my previous post, my stability muscles are getting fatigued earlier than the rest on my long runs, but it's OK. The walk breaks (10 and 1's) seem to help a lot.

This weekend will be a 29K run, which will take me around 3 hours to complete.

Marathon Pacing

Now I don't mind finishing behind Lance... he's Lance... but no way am I finishing behind Puff Daddy. It's bad enough I likely won't beat Will Ferrel!

2:46 - Lance Armstrong (does he count? He's a "real" athlete! )
3:04 - Dana Carvey
3:44 - George W. Bush
3:46 - Gordon Ramsey
3:56 - Will Ferrel
4:14 - Sean (Diddy) Combs
4:29 - Oprah
4:58 - Al Gore
5:29 - Katie Holmes
6:04 - David Lee Roth

I've gone back and forth with what my target time should be.

Based on the McMillian Running Calculator, using either my 1/4 or 1/2 marathon result, I should be able to run sub-4:00:00. Of course the calculator assumes you're as well trained for the full as you were for the 1/4 or 1/2, which I won't be...

The pace to run sub-4:00:00 is about 5:40/km.

Plug the 4:00:00 into the pace band tool that accounts for walk breaks and I get 5:27/km as the target pace for those kilometers that don't include a walk.

I ran 5:24/km average in my 1/2 marathon in February without walk breaks, so I'm familiar with the pace. It seemed pretty tough at the time, but I'm much better prepared and trained now, not to mention 10 pounds lighter.

So that's the plan. Sub-4:00:00, or bust. I'll listen to my body, I know it pretty well now, if it's telling me the pace is too fast I'll back off to a Plan B finishing time.

Look out, Diddy...