Well, that time has come. After 20 weeks of training that saw me run over 925km, I am finally Boston Bound. Over the past few weeks I've been tapering, scaling back my effort and fine tuning a few particular things before the big day. I've slowly shifted my eating to ensure that I am both lean and well-fuelled for race day. More calories, clean food, lean proteins and complex carbs - and lots of water. I've continued to work on my speed and, in particular, my target race pace. The excitement continues to grow. I can't believe how fast it is all happening. Everyone I know is asking me about it - family, friends, co-workers, neighbours. Last week, I got my Boston Marathon Runner's Passport in the mail - that was pretty cool.
"Passport secured! Boston, I'm coming for you in two weeks! Let's do this. 14 days until #boston2016 #untilproject #bostonmarathon"
Final Week
Last week, I nailed my speed. I went out for an 8km run over lunch in a blizzard (Yes, a blizzard. Welcome to Ottawa in April.) I fired up my legs and started out fast and it felt great. I was able to finish up with in a personal best time of 29:52, which is a blazing 3:44 pace. Now, this is far faster than i would run during the race, but it's good to work on your speed to know your have that kind of strength and explosiveness.
"Fired up the legs over lunchtime and busted out an 8km personal best in a blizzard. Feeling strong and fast with 10 days until #boston2016 #untilproject..."
Over the weekend, I had my final "long run". 16km race pace. The goal of this training run is to get out there and run a decent distance at my target race pace. It's a bit of a combination between distance and speed. Kind of a gut check to make sure that everything is in order before your race. My target race pace is 4:10-4:12. The first half of my run felt weird - I just couldn't get into my groove. My pacing was all over the map. 4:45, 4:21, 3:44, 4:02, 3:56...just a mess. Around kilometre 7, I finally found my legs and got into a consistent pace, finishing my run a bit faster than I had planned, which is not necessarily a good thing. My 4:06 pace was fast, but not realistic for Boston. Keeping my legs in check and balancing out my pace will be crucial in Boston.
As we get closer to race day, The Until Project is also quickly approaching. I know most of you have been following along with my training by watching the amazing video shorts that Craig McCallion has been created. Keep your eyes peeled for the final product, coming soon. I promise that it won't disappoint. Here are a few more clips from our most recent shoot.
3 Days Until
I've spent the rest of the week resting. I went out for a couple of easy runs, visited my amazing massage therapist, and packed my bags. This morning we hit the road for the 7 hour drive - we are Boston Bound. See you on the other side!