Wednesday, January 6, 2010

Question of the Week Winner

On Monday, I posed the question - 'Why is a 6:51 pace so important for my half-marathon goal on May 22?'.

Adam Beston of Missoula, Montana correctly answered. A 6:51 per mile pace will equate to exactly a 1:29.59 half-marathon. And that is the goal I will set out to achieve on May 22 when I attempt to run the Fargo half-marathon.

My chances? Slim to none. It has been a very long time since I have run this distance. My ligaments and joints seem to hit a certain spot, usually around 8-miles, when they scream out to me, "Enough! You may want to go on but we're done. A whirlpool and a rub-down if you would, please."

This gets hard to take as I have run a 1:17 half before. But I was half the age I am now. The mind still really wants to take it to the cleaners and have a 'ripper'. But these days, it also takes me a good 30-mins just to be able to reach the kitchen and pour that first cup of java.

My first real test will be March 20 in Glendale, Arizona as I run a 10K. My goal for that will be a 42:33....yes, the magical 6:51 per mile pace. If I can run that time in Arizona, coupled with 8-weeks of training left between then and the Fargo event....I might be able to pull it off. Otherwise, I will simply have to accept that I may have to adjust my goal.

Congrats to Adam for figuring it out quickly! If you have not had the chance, please visit his training blog. Adam does some very hard-core track workouts. All good stuff that he incorporates into his training regimen. I wish I had access to a track like he does!

1 comment:

Adam Beston said...

Hey thanks, sounds like a good plan. For the half have you thought about warming up on the bike for 40 minutes and getting your HR up that way and then just some strides to get loose? Then you wouldn't have to put in 3 miles before the 13. You run well after biking hard (almost as good as your stand alone if I remember) so it might be a trick to use.