A couple of friends signed up for the NSPCC Milton Keynes half marathon this coming Sunday and invited me to sign up. As it seemed like a sensible build-up to the Berlin marathon in September, I thought “why not?”
I’ve not been getting out for long runs often enough, since I am also doing swim training plus I’m really enjoying climbing. However, last Tuesday my team managed to place first in a little 1.5 hour orienteering event that my local club put on, so I shouldn’t be too concerned about stamina. I should be more concerned about being out at a gig the night before (Mumford & Sons), but there’s still a possibility that I’ll get six hours’ sleep before catching the train to Milton Keynes.
I’m thinking of trying a negative split race strategy on the day – starting the first 3 miles about 10 seconds slower than desired average race pace, then cruise the next 8 miles at average race pace, then pick it up for the final two miles. I’ve not tried this before, but there’s a bit of clever science behind it. Let’s forget fancy terms like ‘cardiac drift’, but let’s consider the simple psychology – in the last two miles this strategy should have me accelerating past many people with whom I had been running for the last 8 miles, that’s got to be a great mental booster!
I’ll try to get a post race review up, and I still want to get a photo or two from last weekend’s sea kayaking off the Isle of Wight to the Needles, the view, the weather and the swell were spectacular.
Keep running!
GeekintheHills
Geek in the Hills 