Rockin' This Race at an EPIC Pace!

I'm far beyond just wanting to finish on May 4th.  I want to finish strong, fast, and knowing that I ran my BEST.  RACE.  EVER.  The old saying, "if you fail to plan, then you should plan to fail" is stuck in my head.  Granted, I have been known to take the planning thing WAY overboard, but I've always been "that person" who feels better when she has a plan.  For anything.  No surprises.

I know I'm not ready to PR for the Orange County Half Marathon - but I know for damn sure that I'm not finishing at 2:45 again, either.  When I was heavy, I could live with just finishing, and not really worrying about my time.  Those days are over.  My PR in the Half Marathon is two hours, four minutes.  My slowest half marathon was two hours, forty-five minutes.  Somewhere in the middle of that is where I want to finish - so 2:15 seemed a good goal to shoot for.  It's two seconds faster than my FIRST half marathon, but a good ten minutes slower than my PR.

I found a really sweet website that allowed me to create my ideal race pace, including pre and post fade.  Which I couldn't really find an accurate description of...but it seems that if i'm starting out slow, that's one pace, the slowest one.  If I'm trying to maintain a "race pace", that's another figure, the middle one.  And if I'm shooting for negative splits at the end, that's yet another pace - the fastest one.  With all that in mind, here is my race pace strategy:

1.  Don't be the rabbit!  Start out slow - painfully slow if need be.  Get a good warm up going and run at a 10:44 pace for miles 1-3.
2.  At mile four, hopefully the pack will be separating and I can settle in.  This is my "race pace".  10:18 pace for miles 4-10.
3.  Now it's time to see how strong I really am.  Pick up the pace and MOVE.  Program all the Power Songs for these final miles.  10:14

pace for miles 11 until the finish.  If I feel good, then go faster.

Short blog today.  Need extra time for programming the Race Day Playlist.  Stay tuned....