A. To come in under 6:30. This would be a huge stretch goal for me.
B. To PR - To come in under 6:58:16 - I think this is doable, especially after my 23 mile run.
C. To finish officially by beating both the Gantlet and Bridge
So this is my strategy for the race. With the elevation being fairly flat, except for the first few miles, this is the plan.
2. Run the first 5ish minutes to let the crowd thin out some. I hate walking when everyone around me is running. Cause I'm sort of being a douche by starting sooner then I should, I don't want to clog up too much.
3. Once things thin out I'll so a 30 second run/1 minute walk through the first 2 miles. Since the first 2 miles look to be like strait up hill I wanted to try and conserve my energy.
4. Once the huge hill is done, we start going strait back down hill. I'll switch to 1 minute run/30 second walk. On the steeper down hills I tend to like to run down, even on my walk breaks. So that might make up for some of the time in the first 2 miles where I'll be walking a lot more.
5. I'll keep an eye on my HR. On my 23 mile run, it averaged 152 which is a little high, but still in a good range. Once I get past the Gauntlet and Bridge cut offs, I may try and pay attention to my HR a little more. But my HR tends to get higher on the second half of my runs. So I will be playing that by ear.
Plans tend to never go perfectly. I'll go with the swing of things and hope for the best.
So remember to follow me on Twitter - @heatherlas and Instagram - @heathersspin as I will be posting throughout the weekend. And maybe even during the race.
Do you normally make goals for your races?
I’m linking up with with MCM Mama Runs, Marcia’s Healthy Slice, and My No Guilt Life for the Tuesdays on the Run linkup.
Most of my goals is to simply finish the race. I do these races for fun, and I've put pressure on myself before. That didn't lead to smart decisions, so for fun it is.
ReplyDeleteI get that. A lot of my races are like that, especially the Disney ones.
DeleteGood luck with your goals! I have heard about the bridge, but what is the gauntlet?
ReplyDeleteI hope you have a great race!!
I'm not really sure what they mean my gauntlet. I have looked at maps and there seems not to be anything there like that. But it's at mile 15.5 which is near the Washington Monument around Independence and 15th. I'll have to keep an eye out for something gauntlet like.
DeleteIt sounds like you've got a good strategy for the race! And it will definitely help that you have transportation to the start taken care of :) That is a huge bonus. I agree with Ana, I had heard about beating the bridge but what's the gauntlet?
ReplyDeleteYeah, I'm stoked about the transportation, especially with the Metro repairs now. As for the gauntlet, I have no idea what they mean. It's at 15.5 miles around the Washington Monument. I'll keep an eye out to see if I see what they are talking about.
DeleteGood luck on Sunday! I'll be there as well. I haven't publicized my goals. I just want to have fun!
ReplyDeleteMy main one is to be able to officially finish. With my slow times that's the only thing I'm worried about. Good luck to you too!
DeleteWho says that you have to make three goals? I never make goals. The main thing is to have fun and and finish injury free. You got this girl!
ReplyDeleteYeah, it was something that I've seen other bloggers do. And it kinda worked with this race. For others, especially the Disney ones, my only goal is to have fun.
DeleteI second that,I think it's the "blogger world" that thinks you have to have all the "goals" for races. Every race should be about going out there and doing the best that you can do at the time!
ReplyDeleteYou got this! -M