Saturday, September 6, 2008

3 Weeks to Akron (& 5 weeks to Towpath)

This year I am attempting, for the first time, to run both the Akron and Towpath marathons. I have run the Towpath 4 years in a row, from 2004 and on. It is my first Akron marathon. Since these two marathons are separated by 2 weeks (first time ever) I think I have the time to recover from Akron and do the Towpath. And since I have already qualified for Boston (from the Cleveland Marathon in May) I don’t care for time in either marathon so I plan to run them easy and relaxed. I think this will work.

From my last two long races (Cleveland Marathon, Buckeye 50K) I have developed a crazy plan. Instead of tapering, I put my most miles 3 weeks before the race. I also go on a diet the last 2-3 weeks. I keep running almost every day. I only rest (and eat well) the two days before the race. This goes against anything published regarding marathon preparation, but somehow it has worked for me. Why mess with something that works?

So, here is the plan for next week: Tomorrow I am running the Buckeye ½ Marathon. This is a test. It will show in what shape I am. I hope to run most miles at 7 min/mile average. The next day, I go on a diet. I plan to fast on Monday (I have not done this for a long time). At the same time, I will run every day 6-10 miles/day, plus a long run on Saturday. I plan to put more than 50 miles this coming week. It should be fun :)

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