Final thoughts before Richmond Marathon

It's finally here after months of training, countless early bedtimes, dozens of gels, and many, many miles. Richmond Marathon is tomorrow morning.

I haven't been secretive about my goals. It's definitely easier to sandbag and tell everyone your "C" goal, while keeping your scary goals private, but I chose not to do that.

I want to run 3:05. 7:03 pace for 26.2 miles. 20 minute PR.

Obviously I will have to have a good day--my stomach will need to cooperate, my legs will need to be strong, and the weather not too crazy.

If everything goes smoothly, I feel that 3:05 is within the capabilities. I've made it through enough tough, solo workouts that I feel confident that I can make it through 20-22 miles without *too* much of a struggle. But as we all know, the real test begins after the 20 mile mark.

Of course I have a series of other goals too.
B goal: 3:10
C goal: PR
D goal: finish

From my last marathon experience, I know that adjusting to your D goal can happen pretty early in the race. Although I didn't talk about it much in that Boston post, I watched several goals slip by as the temperatures increased during the race. It was a good test of mental flexibility. Ironically, tomorrow is supposed to be about 50 degrees cooler than the start of Boston 2012. Is a 40 degree start temp too much to ask for?! ;)

Best of luck to everyone racing out there tomorrow! Go fast, take chances!