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!
