Last year I rode in my first marathon and got a very respectable time of 4:13:00. My goal this year is to knock 13 minutes off of that. It sounds pretty simple until you start doing the math.
253 minutes to complete 26.2 miles is 9:40 per mile* which means that if I can do a 9:10 pace I can easily make my goal.

But wait…26.2 miles is if you run the course perfectly, cutting out your natural inclination to follow the line of the road. You must take every corner perfectly. You must drift a across the lanes when the road is slightly angled. You must have the perfect strategy for approaching a water station…and you must never, never, never have to go around or between other runners (that’s why the elite runners start at the front).

According to my gps, my marathon last year was 27.34 miles. That means my pace was 9:15 last year, not 9:40. It means that my average pace has to be 8:44, not 9:10.

Now let’s talk about hills: down hills** where I gain some time and the (dreaded) uphills. My fastest mile was 5:39 on a long slow down hill early in the race before lots of people caught up to me. My slowest mile was 12:19 a long slow up hill that just goes on and on and on.

And what about fatigue? The last 6 miles my pace was around 11:15.

HOW WILL I KNOW IF I’M GOING FAST ENOUGH?!?!?
I guess it all comes down to this:
• Gut it out.
• Don’t push too hard at the beginning and burn out.
• Work hard and steady the whole way.
• Get a good dinner and a good night’s sleep.
• Trust that you’ve done the work.
And aim for an 8:44 average pace.

In other maths:
Thank you for your support. I have reached 11.67% of my fundraising goal. My Dopey Challenge will be complete two months from today. If you haven’t yet and would sponsor me, that would be amazing. Click here to donate.

*Please forgive the rounding issues
**When I say “wheeeeeee” and “wheels on the left” and “get out of my way!”