Myrtle Beach Marathon Pregame

Less than a week to the Myrtle Beach Marathon.  I'll run 3 on Tuesday, 2 on Friday down in Myrtle Beach, then run the marathon at 6:30 AM on Saturday.

Live tracking and results can be found at this link: MB Results.

Strategy for the race? I've been thinking about that all day. I ran the 8 miles this morning easily and without pushing it at all, and ran a sub-9 minute pace. I felt like I could have run forever at that speed. My remaining marathon goal is to run sub 3:40, which would be a Boston Qualifier (BQ) for me. That's an 8:23 pace for the marathon.

The whole training cycle went well, I'm healthy with no pain in ankles or knees, and feel strong. The one fly in the ointment is that I'm not as light as I was in 2015 for my marathons. I was 180 or less for the Clarence Demar race and both Disney races. This year I was well over 190 for the disasters at Waitsfield Vt and the Bucks County Marathon. I've managed to get back under 190 for Myrtle Beach but not by much. The odd thing is that I feel much lighter than that and am wearing the same clothes (size 34 jeans) that I bought when I was at my thinnest in 2015. But the scale says 188.

A 3:40 marathon is a 1:50 half marathon pace. Since I start slowly anyway, the smart thing to do will be to start moderately and negative split the second half if I'm feeling it. What I did in both my first Disney race and the Clarence Demar was to forget about my watch and spend the first half dozen miles settling in to a pace I thought I could sustain. I think I'll try that at Myrtle Beach. If it turns out that the pace is such that I might have a chance at 3:40, then I'll hold that into the second half, then make a judgment about trying to speed up later in the race.

There is no way I'm starting fast in an aggressive approach to the race. The last thing I want is a death march in the final 10k. I'd rather forego the 3:40 than go thru that.

I don't think it will come to that. I feel healthier and stronger than at any time since the Demar marathon in Sept. 2015. But the fear is definitely there, which I suppose is a good thing.

Right now the weather forecast is looking ideal: Low of 46, high of 56, with 10 mph wind.

Here we go...