Marathon Taper: Weather Watch

Man, who knew a 10-day weather forecast was SOOO difficult!  I can't believe how much this has changed over the past week!

At my last update, the weather on Sunday was predicted to be 65 and Sunny.  I was ok with that, but wished it would be a tad bit cooler.  Temps fluctuated over the next few days, and once I saw them reach 71 for a high, I started praying.  Everything comes with a price!  As of yesterday temps were going to be 51 with showers.  Now they are saying 58 degrees, but showers and WIND.  NOOO!!!!!  Really, I can deal with the rain, its not that big of a deal.  But I really, really, don't want to deal with 20 mph wind.  Yuck.  So, I'll keep my fingers crossed for that partly cloudy, 55 degress, calm forecast that I dream of.

Overall, anxiety is starting to set in a little bit.  I struggle with the taper - I understand the importance, but its hard.  You want you legs to be rested, but not stale.  I have 2 more short 2-mile runs to do before the big race.  I know I'm ready.  I've put in the miles, injuries are now minor tweaks every now and then, and I'm concentrating on my carb and fluid intake.  I'm still icing every day, but more as a preventative precaution than because of any pain. 

I've been going back and forth over my pace.  With my recent half-marathon PR, a few running calculators are predicting I can complete a marathon in 4:02.  I don't know about that.....  I'm leaning more towards a 4:05-4:10 marathon time, but the idea of breaking 4 hours is pretty lucrative as well.  I really want to push myself and do the best I am capable of, but I am so worried about starting out too fast.  That is the biggest mistake a marathoner can make: start out too fast, and can't finish strong.  I've managed to maintain a 9:20-9:36 pace on my long training runs, but those had untimed breaks in them.  Really, there should be no reason I can't maintain a 9:00 min/mile pace, but I think I'm too nervous to start there.  What to do, what to do....  I'll make a decision closer to the race, I need to be sure of what the conditions are and see how I'm feeling that morning.

And since I like winning free stuff, I'm going to mention 2 upcoming giveaways so I can have an extra entry in each.  You should check these out!
SkinnyRunner is giving out a bunch of stuff, including Odwalla bars, laces, Gu, and a SR shirt.  Just vote for her for the Refuel with Chocolate Milk grant.
Shut Up + Run is giving away what looks like some super-comfy champion gear.  Just let her know what you wear after a long run.