A Strategy. I Has One.

Weeks to Go: 4 and a 1/2
Money Raised: $16 301.70 ($2923.70 of that has been raised offline, in case you're looking at the total that shows on the blog and wondering about my ability to recognise numbers!)

Last Sunday's 23km long run actually happened on Saturday morning as I was heading up to Darwin for a conference on Sunday afternoon. And I have to say, unfortunately, it was the polar opposite of that most excellent training run from the week before. I was very much 'in the zone' for that 21km run - and very much out of that same 'zone' for the 23km run. Only 2km more somehow felt like double the distance. I have it on reliable authority that not all runs can be good runs but I suspect this dud run had more to do with water or rather, the lack thereof. Saturday's run started at 6am so as to fit it in with our other commitments and I felt slow and leaden from the start. In hindsight, I should have paid much more attention to my water consumption on Friday and also gotten up a bit earlier to hydrate. It made a huge difference and the lesson is duly noted. 

It was a very short and action packed trip to the top-end and there wasn't a chance to get any runs in. I'm not sure how well I would have gone in the humidity and heat anyway. But my 'mini-break' from the schedule ends tonight. Despite my fatigue (I always forget what a big trip it is to go anywhere from Perth) a 5km warm up run on the treadmill tonight should get me back on track for a longer mid-week runs Thursday & Friday, culminating in a 24km long run this Sunday.

After that, there are only TWO more long runs until the actual day!! And, as Alan Parker (a motivational speaker and marathoner who spoke at the Team WorldVision day in Sydney) suggested I'm starting to formulate a real live strategy for the marathon.

Strategy #1: It seems to me that the last 2km will be the hardest so I've decided to do that first and get it over and done with. And because it is the last 2km of an actual marathon I figure there's no shame in walking it. And then I'll only have 40km left to go.

Strategy #2: I'm aiming for a 'negative split', i.e, a faster second half that first half. As I expect that I'll be walking a proportion of the marathon (like most first-timers) an alternating 5km run/ 5km walk strategy will get me through the first 20km. Depending on how I'm going at that point, I can increase the running to walking ratio for the second half. But I'm definitely timing it so I can run across the finish line. AND I'm SO raising my arms triumphantly above my head as I do it. I've been practising.



Oh and by the way, Katie Holmes. Competition is off. I'm REALLY not supposed to set a time goal.

Subscribers may have noticed a few old blog posts coming through this week. Not quite sure what happened there, some sort of glitch in the system. I wasn't doing a 'Best Of' or anything!! And many, many thanks to those who continue to donate. I celebrated my 43rd birthday this week (a shame as I was kind of keen on the symbolism of a 42 year old running 42km in the 42nd New York marathon with 42 000 other runners) and was very touched to get many donations in celebration. Thank you all once again!