2017 Eugene Marathon - Goals

Feels like it was just yesterday I was thinking about goals for my first marathon. In other ways though, it definitely feels like a long time ago.

As far as marathon training goes, I feel a lot more seasoned since Marquette last September. I've churned out over 1,000 miles the past 15 weeks, have had several great races this cycle, and am in arguably the best shape of my life. As a result, I'm in a position to set pretty ambitious goals for next Sunday. The Eugene course is flat and fast. The weather is always a wild card, but this won't be a Boston 2017 (the Pacific Northwest is known for their cool mornings with low humidity during Spring).

That said, I must remind myself that the only reason I began this marathon journey 11 months ago was to be able to run Boston with Christine. While I have found myself knocking on the door fitness-wise of being able to go sub 3-hours next week, I need to relax and remember my motivation: running down Boylston street with family, friends, and a lot of strangers cheering us on. If I forget this, and instead go after an arbitrary time-goal, the risk of blowing up is real. This won't be my last marathon. I have big goals in the coming months and years. But for now, it's just making it to Hopkinton.

For the 2017 Boston marathon held a few weeks ago, the time cut-off was 2:09, meaning you had to be 2 minutes and 9 seconds faster than your age/gender qualifying time to earn a slot. My qualifying time remains a 3:10:00 this year, but to practically guarantee a spot, I am aiming for under 3:05:00. That's the C goal. I won't be satisfied leaving Eugene without a BQ minus 5 minutes.

I plan to go out conservatively and aim for a negative split. The pace band I will be carrying is for 3:02:00, or a 6:56 pace over the 26.2. That's the B goal. This has me reaching 10 miles in 70:11 and the half in 1:31:48. Realistically, anything between 1:31 and 1:32 is a split I would be happy with. From there, it's trying to keep a good rhythm and pace and stay as comfortable as possible until mile 20. Most experienced marathoners will tell you the true halfway mark of the marathon is at mile 20. Running a strong 1:30 on the back half will get me to 3:02.

My result of 1:03:22 for the 10 mile at Cherry Blossom earlier this month equates to anywhere from a 2:57 - 2:59 marathon, depending on the calculator given my average weekly mileage the past 4 months. If I feel really strong come miles 18 - 20, have hydration and nutrition in check, and absolutely no signs of wear and tear, then here is where I may pick up the pace and try to close in on a sub 3. That's the A goal. To achieve this though, everything, and I do mean everything, would have to be perfect. All the intangibles: temperature, humidity, and even cloud cover.

With a little rest after Eugene, I really feel like I can get to the next level and go sub 2:50 this Fall. But reaching for that A goal now, that's not what will define success. Boston. Only qualifying for Boston will.