it's less than a week until the flying pig marathon! i can't believe it. i'm getting a bit nervous, but i don't think it will get out of hand. this week ended on a high note with a great 8 mile run on a sunny and warm saturday. the temperature was in the high 60's, which made it a good practice for the marathon. the "heat" [ relative to the cold that i've been used to training all winter ] has been taking a lot out of me on the longer runs, but this time i hardly noticed. the route kris and i ran was a hilly, 4 mile out-and-back, which was good preparation for the hills in cincinnati. everything felt great, with very little stiffness in my left leg - keeping up on my physical therapy seems to be paying off.

i haven't ever alluded to my pace, because it's not good to focus on speed for your first marathon. i'll be happy to just finish. that said, i do need to be concerned about setting a reasonable pace and i'm having a bit of trouble figuring out what that might be. typically, if i'm in good form, i can keep up a respectable-for-a-"non runner" 9.5-10 minute mile pace over 16-18 miles, but with the heat and perhaps a wee bit of overtraining, i've been slowing to around 11-11.5 minute mile pace, just to make sure that i'm not overdoing it. i'm very wary of setting my expectations too high and running the first half of the marathon too quickly. so do i start with a leisurely 11.5-12 minute mile pace for the first 12-13 miles and see how things feel and then pick up the pace? or do i just start with a 11 minute miles pace and adjust up and down as needed. hmmmm. decisions.

this week is for "rest and repair" and should be a piece of cake. we'll run two 3 milers and walk for 3 miles.