I got nothing this week, so I’m posting this photo of my darling buddy Beth after completing her Paris Marathon this morning.  Paris France, not Texas.  My buddy Chris will be running the Boston Marathon in another week, on a Monday actually, Patriot’s Day, just before taxes are due.  Training for marathons is decidedly less exciting than running them.  I need to slog it out for another four weeks before I get my day in the sun.

I need to keep up the boring mileage for the next two weeks before I can start to taper.  I’m changing that training strategy though.  The long runs wear me out too much for the shorter runs.  My average pace, long or short, is over 9 minutes per mile.  I’m going to keep my long runs at 10 miles or less from now on.  Ten miles actually feels short to me now.  I can maintain a strong pace for that distance, and the next day my legs aren’t so fatigued that I can run fast again.

I would need to run close to an 8 minute per mile pace to qualify for Boston.  I can see now that’s not going to happen, but I’d like to work on speed somewhat over the next few weeks to be able to run under a 9 minute pace.  That will give me a finishing time under 4 hours, which I’m always happy with, especially if I can run comfortably at that pace.

In addition to keeping my legs fresh for speed, shorter runs will enable me with more energy and time for stretching afterward.  That’s arguably as important as the miles.  Avoiding muscle overuse injury becomes important this close to the race.  My knees and ankles have been weak and should enjoy the respite.  I’m not a slave to routine and am always flexible to change.  Change is good.