I suppose I should be crafting some portentous paragraph about the impending marathon, but there’s too much fluster to contend with here. As usual, I’m not well prepared for the trip so it’s going to be another last-minute job. It might be a good thing.
Had a good, brisk run on Monday evening, and nothing since. I should try to get out for half an hour tomorrow, then that will probably be it. It’s always difficult to judge what to do in this final week. Over-training or under-training? Whatever you do doesn’t feel right.
I’ve had a reasonable 2005 so far, managing to collect a few PBs along the way, though I seem to have lost the zip I felt during the Reading and Silverstone Halfs. Perhaps two races on successive weekends took something out of me. In theory, based on those results, I should be capable of getting 4:30 in Hamburg – but I’m not going to attempt it. We all know that a man’s reach must exceed his grasp, but in marathon running, it doesn’t pay to be over-ambitious. There’s a fine balance to be struck between positive thinking and realism. If you get it wrong, you start too quickly and fade well before the end, ending up in a worse position than you would have been if you’d started more slowly.
I’ve still not managed to get under 5 hours in a marathon, so that has to be my sole target. If I manage it, I can start devising a 4:30 strategy for 2006. But not right now.
So that’s it. Thanks to everyone for their good wishes. Will aim to post the news of the race on the forum, then file a full report when I’m back – probably the end of next week.
Toodlepip.
