... to everyone who commiserated with me re the weather forecast. I really appreciate it and I definitely needed it today.All of you that know me well and/or read this regularly know that I am always looking to plan B if plan A could fall apart. I am a planner, and I am highly competitive with myself. It is what it is and I am not one to easily throw in the towel if I can just switch things up some. Cindi alluded to changing plans in her post, and since I have been thinking about it (rather obsessively actually) since the weekend, I will share the viable options I have been tossing around.
All season, I have had Grand Rapids scheduled as my back up in the event the weather truly sucks. As we all know, there is always a chance for 80-90 degree weather in Chicago. It happens more often than the nice cool weather. I AM fully planning to go to Grand Rapids that weekend - either to spectate or to run. It is in the books, so switching up would be rather easy. So, the natural question is, why don't I just bail on Chicago and just run Grand Rapids?
The short answer is that I am simply not ready to throw in the towel yet and go to that Plan B. Here is why:
(1) As Cindi pointed out, the weathermen do not know what the fark they are talking about. While I do not think it is too early, and I do not think the forecast will change, I do think they could be wrong. And if they are wrong by only 5ish degrees, that could make a big difference. Take today for example. The forecast low was 50ish. Um, when I ran this morning at 5:30 it was 41 degrees.
(2) I know that even 60 degrees at the start is not ideal. 70+ at the finish kind of sucks. But will it throw me off *that* much? I don't know. And I have no way of knowing at this point whether the weather in Grand Rapids will be that much better. So it seems kind of crazy to throw an unknown Chicago out the window for an unknown GRM.
(3) I don't know how much 4 weeks of taper will throw a wrench in things. My hunch says it won't hurt my fitness at all. But the thought of executing on that without a clear need to (such as 90 degree weather, illness, etc.) scares the crap out of me.
AND (probably most importantly)
(4) Plan C is in the works. 3 weeks from Chicago is the Haunted Hustle Marathon and Half Marathon here in Madison. If Chicago is less than ideal, I could still finish it, bounce back and do the full, or alternatively, do the half and try to qualify for NYCM. That would be sweet.
So there you have it. Thoughts, opinions, input would be greatly appreciated.
4 comments:
I like the idea of still doing chicago, if on race day you know it's too warm to PR, just run it very easy for a strong/fun finish and then plan on racing that Haunted Hustle one three weeks later (the full). Is the Haunted Hustle course a PR kind of course?
Thanks Cindi. It is not a PR course like Chicago, but it is a vast improvement over the Madison Marathon and I think a PR could certainly be possible. Plus, the almost guaranteed cool temps are a real bonus (so long as we don't get 6 inches of snow the night before).
Haha - there is always some risk, right? If I do make that plan, I should register though as it is almost sold out.....
I think a high of mid-70's with low humidity shouldn't be too too bad. It probably won't be 70 yet by finish time this time of year since it will probably still be pretty chilly in the morning. I think you should plan to wear next to nothing (well, as close to it as you are comfortable!) and forget about the weather and go for it! And then think about plans B and C on Monday :)
This is what *I* would do. Start with the 3:30 pacer. Speed up to GMP at 4 miles. At 15, evaluate... if feeling good continue, if not feeling it, dial back pace. At 20 (and assuming it's going ok), gradually pick up pace 10-15...
It is so much easier to "race" on paper :o)
Good luck!
Post a Comment