Thursday, October 8, 2009

Getting Closer All the Time

I received my NYRR bib number today -- in the 19000's in wave 1 start. That puts me in the Green corral (the slowest) about 2/3 of the way back. That is kind of bad. Good news is that I am in wave 1, which starts first, so there won't be a plethora of slower runners from the previous waves with which to contend as I go. That is bad because I start 2/3 of the way back in a wave of say 12,000 runners. That is still an awful lot of people to deal with.

I will probably run a PR, assuming my training holds up. So, I can't really complain with my starting position. It is what it is, and you cannot change it. I will register with a pace group and hopefully that will put me in the right starting position and can run with them. They should have that all planned out, but I really don't remember how the pace groups assemble or how they start given the corrals and waves.

Beginning to game plan as to what shoes, shorts, socks and shirt I will wear on the big day. Particularly shoes. For me, I try to find the "goldilocks" shoes, shoes that are not too old or too new, but just right. For me, the sweet spot on shoes are ones that have approximately 100 miles on them. Still new, but I feel comfortable in them. Unfortunately, in my rotation, it hasn't fallen in line to have the right shoes in the right place. Right now, my favorites are a pair of Asics Gel Kayanos, but they have about 200 miles on them, a little past their prime. I have been running less in them because...The pair I thought I was going to use was a pair of Brooks Trance 9's that I bought about three weeks ago. Unfortunately those haven't fit exactly right. They now have about 60 miles on them, but just aren't there yet. And my impression is not a rave one. I also have a pair of Gel Nimbus 11 that I love the way they feel and which I use on the treadmill. I am going to run long in them this weekend to see if they work for road work and long distances. Maybe, the Gel Nimbus will be the winner. If not, they can save miles on my Gel Kayanos.

In workout news, I ran for first time since my long run over the weekend, and went 8.5 miles at 7:30 pace. The FIRST program had this as one of the long runs for the week, but I missed the weekly speedworkout. This weekend (Saturday) is 20 miles at marathon pace + 15 seconds. I am going to try to run my 7 mile loop 3 times at an under 8:000 pace. That will be a push, but a good, last, hard long run.

6 comments:

  1. I love Gel Kayanos. A bit heavy, but they keep my feet happy during long runs. I ran Boston as a charity runner and was at the back of the back for the first few miles. I ended up running on the side of the road, and it was not that bad. Make sure you don't get annoyed at the people moving slow in front of you -it;s not worth it. Plus, running the first couple of miles about 20 sec/mile slower than what ended up my average pace helped a lot as I never hit the wall. Good luck!

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  2. I think starting a little in the back may do you some good. It'll at least keep you from starting out too fast. Do your best to NOT weave in and out at the start. Going slow over the Verrazano really does lead to a good race. I ran my first mile last year at 7:30 and still ended up with a 6:57 avg pace, so just go with the flow and you'll be fine.

    Good luck picking out the shoes. I am having the same dilemma.

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  3. Good luck with your running this weekend, sounds like you've got a lot of decisions with the shoes! I guess fortunately for me I'm not seasoned enough to worry about that stuff just yet, but I often worry about what I'm going to wear!

    I think the laminator has some good advice on your race start. Weaving stinks, and it probably is good to get you to start a little slower rather than faster.

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  4. I had numerous problems with my Gel Nimbus 10s: blisters, black toe nails, toe nails falling off... However, I ran a marathon last week in Gel Nimbus 11s and had no prblems at all. The 11 is a fine running shoe.

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  5. I'm running NY as well, but it's my first time. I'm in the second wave but not sure which corral. Really excited about the race but currently nursing an injured foot. Hopefully I can get in a 20 miler this weekend! Good luck deciding on which shoes to wear!

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  6. Getting the bib always feels so good -- makes it seem official. Hard to believe NYCM is just around the corner...

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