Marathon Ready!

I've been doing my Detroit Marathon Countdown posts and threw you a curve ball with my last one by announcing that I'm now doing the Marquette Marathon.  I explained that I really want to run Boston 2014 and this is my last chance to qualify.  That's why I'm running a marathon mid-marathon training.  Some may call me crazy.  I'll use the word "determined."

My qualifying time is 3:35:00.  My goal is to run the marathon under 3:25:00 because of registration dates.  Registration opens on Sept. 9th for those who met their BQ standard by 20 minutes or faster.  Then it opens again on Sept. 11th for those who met their BQ standard by 10 minutes or faster.  Hence my goal.  

That means a pace of 7:49.  I'm going to do 7:50's for the first 10, then drop down to 7:30's for the next 10.  Since I've never done more than 20 I think I'll just have to see what my body does after that.  Hopefully I can maintain.  But I want that cushion from miles 11-20 just in case.

My bag is packed with all my gear - Lululemon shorts, green Under Armour tank top, my favorite Brooks, some awesome new socks (that I've tried out - don't worry!), Bondi Band, and my now signature racing sunglasses.  I have my Garmin and iPod with 58-song playlist.  I have the ingredients for my chia pudding, some gels, bananas, and coconut water.  I also bought The Stick to massage my muscles on the long drive home.  My mom is going with me to be my support.  Yep, I'm all set!

If you don't already follow Vegan Road Runner on Facebook, please do!  That's where I'll post all my updates until I have a chance to get back to the blog.