Wouldn’t you know it–two teammates are aiming for 3:15 in marathons in December and January. One is squarely in the 3:30s, and the other at 3:50s. What’s going for them is their relative youthfulness (compared to me that is). The guy who does 3:30s is relatively fast around track–easily hammering 6:10-6:00 pace at Z3. The other does 7:00-6:50s at Z3. Even with their differing abilities, you really only need a 7:10 pace to guarantee a 3:15 right? Only problem is, you have to keep it up for 26.2 miles. Ouch!
So where does that put me? One sometimes train with me, and the other talks to me about what he does. So one way or another, my input is getting in there somewhere. I’ve been relatively consistent about my advice to get the 7mm X 6 miles tempo runs regularly. Hope these guys are doing it. And maybe I need to get back on it again!
I may end up running with the faster guy in LV. That should be interesting. I should be able to keep 7:10 relatively easily for 13.1, but so-so right now for the remainder. Haven’t been keeping up with the harder running workouts. This is where the end game becomes an important motivator. For these guys, it is important to hit that goal at this juncture of their lives. For me, it’s just another number.
I think my prospects for a faster marathon get better each time. At least this time, their attempt will catapult my mindset into a similar trajectory by default. The number still isn’t that important to me, but it’s a lot of fun to work towards a goal with others and achieve it. If I get a faster time in the process, so be it!
But for now, I have to keep my mind on Ironman Arizona. One month from now!
