Been getting back on track with the running program, although this week took a detour because of cold and wind. I banged out a nice 9 miler this morning, and overall it felt good. I consistently kept within a 10-10:30 pace, and managed a sub-10 for the last mile.

One of my goals at Grandma’s marathon this year is to beat a 5 hour marathon. Last year I was close at Twin Cities, and if I had really understood the nature of what was happening with my leg, I could have just run through it (albeit painfully). So this year I’ve decided to set a reasonable goal. That goal time is 4:48 to complete Grandma’s marathon, which puts me right around an 11 minute mile overall.

I know that I will be slowing a lot towards the end, so I’ll need to aim for a 10:30 pace out of the gate to make up for some lost time at the end. Hopefully though the third time will be the charm! Next week is my first 20 mile run, so I’ll probably know more about where I’m at after that run.