Day 42: PEI Half Marathon Preview

My training is in the tank. I did my last fast workout today (just 3 sets of 4min VO2 pace, 2min rest) – it’s all easy running and rest from now until Sunday. I feel good. I feel fit – even though I drank and ate way too much over the weekend. I think I’ve got a decent shot at a PB... might even snag a top-3 placing (depending on who shows up). I’m hungry for this one.

When I think of PEI, (when I’m not thinking of that incorrigible Anne of Green Gables or that delightful Bud the Spud) I think of fairly flat countryside – but that’s a misconception of mine. There may not be any mountains on the island, but the land rolls like a swelling sea. The half marathon route is far from flat. It’s not the Blue Nose, but the course is inclined towards...well... inclines. Folks I’ve talked to who’ve run the course before have warned me about the three hills on the back half of the course (10m, 14m, 17m) – those are worrisome, but what really has me a bit nervous is the fact that the section on the rail trail leading out of Charlottetown climbs close to 50m. That’s far from crazy, but it’ll take a bite.

Hills be damned, though. This is the race I’ve chosen to cap my season, and I’m going to go at it aggressively. I feel like I have a good shot at 1:17 – but I’m going to lay it out for a 1:16. If I blow up... I blow up. No need to be conservative. I’ll just establish that 3:38/k pace and see how long I can hold it.

I’m not the only Vincent running in PEI – J-A is suiting up for her first 10k! I’m so excited for her. She’s done a few runs over 10k, so she knows she can do the distance, but she’s been so busy over the past few weeks that she hasn’t put in the volume or the quality she’d hoped for. As she puts it – she really committed to her taper (whereas I snuck in a few harder runs when I might’ve been better off going easy). So she’s keeping her goal simple – finish the race. Well, that’s not her only goal – she also wants to make sure she crosses the line before I do. The 10k and the Half start at the same time and place and finish in the same place, so I’ll be looking for her as I come screaming down the road over the last couple of k.

Okay, PEI – just give me some good weather and I’ll run my little heart out!