Tuesday, May 11, 2010

Green Bay Marathon Goals

Tonight I had a boring old 3 mile easy run to do.  To make it a little less boring, it has turned to winter around here.  Seriously it's cooooold.  I've had my heat on driving to and from work the past two days.  I swear to God I spent more time rounding up my cold weather running gear than I actually spent doing the run.  Interesting fact about the run:  at the 1.5 mile turn around point my watch said 14:11.  Finishing time 28:22.  Couldn't have done it if I tried fo sho.  My legs were pretty heavy, which is to be expected after a quick tempo run yesterday.  I usually let them rest after speed work, but wanted to make sure I had rest days on Friday and Saturday.

3 miles in 28:22 for a pace of 9:28.
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And now what you've all been waiting for............ (you have been waiting for this, right???)

Green Bay Goals
(in dinosaur terms, because, why not??)

I know everyone says not to have a time goal for your first marathon.  Apparently no one told that to my buddy BQoh1stT/TG (BQ on his 1st Try/Tri Guy) who did just that.  With that being said, I'm an extremely competitive person and cannot imagine going in to a race without a goal of some kind.  What I have come up with (while logging all of my long runs, I was allotted many hours of pure thinking and computation) is a rough time guide that I should be able to hit, whether it be on race day, or a marathon in the near? future.

Goal Triceratops:  Have fun.  Finish the race with a big ol' smile on my face (and more than likely tears in my eyes streaming down my face).  Seriously bask in the awesomeness that my body and hard work have provided me.  Also, don't die.  That would be...uh.... bad.

Goal Brontosaurus (aka Longneck):  This includes Goal Triceratops as well as a time goal.  Ooooh....pretty.  Given my pace on my long runs, I should be able to finish under 4:10, which is a pretty dog gone good time if you ask me.  This time goal would also mean that I have spent less time in the port a potties than I have running the course (this is a big fear for me, for some reason. :/)

Goal Velociraptor:  This also includes Goal Triceratops, as that goal is undisputable come race day.  In addition to the smile, would be crossing the finish line in between 4:04 and 4:08 minutes.  How do I get some a complex time frame?  You might ask.  Well 8 is my lucky number, and so is 4 (and also happens to be Brett Favre's number....weird) so both of these would be an acceptable time frames.  This would also be pretty spot on with my pace for my 20 milers, so would be great motivation to keep pushing the last 10k and not let myself walk.

Goal Pterodactyl:  Again this includes Goal Triceratops, but also a big kahuna:  Run a sub 4 marathon.  Whooooooa nelly!  That's a pretty lofty goal.  And I agree.  However, I saw someone's tweet the other day that I couldn't agree more with, it went something along the lines of, "If you're constantly hitting your A goal (or in my case Pterodactyl goal) you're setting your goals too low!"  Agreed.  Might as well shoot for the stars, yes?  Going in to the race, this will not be my goal.  However, at mile 20 if my legs are feeling good and it's a possibility (aka all stars are in alignment) you better believe I'll be hauling booty to do it.  Now if Brett Favre happens to be the 4 hour pace leader, than MAYBE this goal might be my time goal from the start of the race........ just sayin'.

**In case you were wondering, these are my 4 favorite dinosaurs in least to favoritest order.  I love dinosaurs.  Also, I am 5 years old apparently. :)  **

21 comments:

Generation X (Slomohusky) said...

I am more of a Rodan, Godzilla, Gamera, King Ghiddora fan. Oh, I guess they were never Dino's. :) Still, it makes me 5 as well.

Anonymous said...

Well, who doesn't love dinosaurs? That's one way to make the goals interesting...no? ;)

I don't think there's Anything wrong with setting goals up - especially if thats what you'd do for any other race (not that this is any other race, but ya know...work with me...) - but, the best advice I received was to TAKE IT EASY (feel comfortable and happy) for at least the first 10 miles. Then, take it from there...

Jen Feeny said...

LMAO!!! Loving the dinosaur goals! Alright here's what I think: It's your first marathon, it's a guaranteed PR and you NEVER get to run your first again so just go and have fun! Look around, take it all in and finish with a smile on your face. I don't think you should put too much pressure the first go around, there's pressure enough just trying to tackle the distance the first time. HAVE FUN!!!

Julie said...

Nice job on your three mile run:) Wow, your marathon is just right arund the corner! How exciting for you. I have still not done a full marathon yet. I have done several halfs and am thinking of doing a full this fall:) Perhaps Twin Cities? Good luck to you!

Anonymous said...

these are like the exact same goals I had for my first marathon--only I wasn't cool enough to name them after dinosaurs : ) I hope you go sub-4!! can't wait to hear about it!

John said...

Ack, only four days left! So excited for you. You're gonna have so much fun!!!

Anonymous said...

Multiple goals are a must do in a marathon...though you are definitely the first person I've seen name them after dinosaurs. ;)

And some unsolicited advice: remember its better to aim for a negative split. Feeling good at the end of a marathon is an awesome feeling...feeling not good is hell. Make sure you are eating some salty foods as it gets closer, that'll help you avoid cramps.

Anonymous said...

I really think you'll run sub-4 no problem!
..Goal Pterodacty will be achieved, and if not this weekend, then SOON (possibly Grandma's with me?!?)

This weather is awful, I'm sick of rain, wind, and clouds. I want the sunshine back! I heart short recovery runs, i still can't believe you didn't run ANY short distances during training. I know they are probably worthless but I loved them. ha

Glenn Jones said...

What angryrunner said. Not to splash water on the fire, but the danger of having a time goal for a first marathon is you are going to be running 10K further than you ever trained. *If* you go out too fast in the beginning in search of your time goal, you very well may crash and burn on the back end - meaning that not only will you not be a Pterodactyl, but Triceratops may go extinct about mile 22 or 23. The bottom line is that at mile 10 you want to feel like you've just finished a warm up. If you get there you'll be in good shape.

You might want to check this out for some good tips on running *your* race.

Susan said...

Hahaha I love the dinosaur goals!! Too funny. :) I think you have some good goals set out for yourself...just don't wear yourself out trying to go for sub-4 and then die later in the race. It's a long 26.2 miles, so take the beginning easy and then adjust from there. You want to finish WANTING to run another one!

Jamie said...

Love the dinosaur goals. Much better than my A, B, C goals :) I think they are all good goals for your first marathon! Finishing and experiencing the distance is the most exciting for the first one.

Steel Springs said...

I love your dinosaur marathon goals! You're going to have a wonderful time.

Anonymous said...

enjoy and kickus asseus!!

Heather said...

Great goals. You have had some speedy long runs, so I think your goals are very realistic. Good luck! I will be thinking of you on Sunday for sure. :)

Emz said...

OMGosh love the dino post.

seriously you love dinosaurs?!?! Not sure why I think that's so funny & so awesome!!

GREAT post.

Jameson said...

I was just cruising by your blog and I saw that your marathon goals were dinosaur related and my jaw dropped... don't tell anyone but this is my new favorite blog.

RunToTheFinish said...

wow you lost me a little on the dinosaurs but that's just cause i'm from the short bus. I really hope more than anything you just have fun

J said...

GOOD LUCK! Hope you have a great time and run a great race!

Aron said...

you are going to do sooo awesome :) ahhh!!! the first marathon is just the best, you go into unchartered territory, learn what you are made of, etc, its going to be amazing. for my first marathon i had general time goals too, nothing with crazy pressure, but i also had non time goals that were what i really wanted to stick to. not walking, not hitting a wall, etc... i hit all those goals and was so happy!

will be cheering for you from cali this weekend!

Badgergirl said...

I've been lurking on your blog for a while, but had to leave a comment to wish you luck this weekend in Green Bay! I'll be there running the half and am crossing my fingers for good weather!

Great goals and good luck!

Mica said...

Yay! I hope you make your pterodactyl goal and run a pterrific ptime! (Oh that didn't look as cool as I thought it would)