Strategy

You may be wondering if I have some sort of strategy for running the marathon.  In fact, I do:

• Don't start out too fast.  I made this mistake in 2003.  It is easy to do with the adrenaline rush that comes at the start of the race.
• Once the mass of runners spreads out after a mile or so, I like to fall in behind someone who I judge to be a good runner.  These folks are easy to spot.  They dress in appropriate running wear, run with good form, appear comfortable with their pace, and often have interesting gadgets.  During the 1/2 marathon I ran in September, I found a lady who had a gps watch.  The watch tracked her pace, and she could tell at any point in time what pace she was running.
• The above person may be running at a slightly faster pace than I have typically trained at.  Trailing such a person serves to push you to run a little harder than you normally would.
• This strategy can backfire.  Part of the problem in 2003 was that I implemented this strategy and ended up choosing someone that was running too fast.
• I have in my head I want to finish in 4 hours, which is ambitious for my level of training.  I could avoid the whole issue by just lowering my goal time.  I'm hoping that I did learn one thing over the years.  That would be having the good sense to pick the right person to trail.  I was successful during the half marathon, so there is hope.  Often you end up changing the running partner if they become a poor match.
• I hope to finish strong.  If all goes as planned, I expect the most difficult portion of the race to be miles 20 to 23 (if the great difficulty comes before that, I'm in trouble).  After that, and new adrenaline rush begins to set in with the excitement of finishing the race.

 And that's about the sum of it.  Besides all that technical stuff, I plan to enjoy the run.  It's a beautiful course with scenery infinitely more interesting than the stretch on which I have been training.  The occasional chatting with fellow runners is always stimulating as well.  And the walking out (well, running out) of a dream I've been anticipating since June is just plain fun.