Tralee Bound... 4 Weeks to Go

Where the hell is time going? It's like I'm watching a program on Sky at 2x speed or something, I can see each days pass but everything is kinda blurry. Anyway, I'm four weeks away from Marathon #3, Tralee, which is happening Paddy's weekend. My training has been consistent but that is not necessarily a good thing. I've been really good with my long runs, having clocked up more for this one than I have any previous marathons but my weekly runs have been suffering due to the dark evenings, miserable weather and an over-inviting couch.

I've been really happy with my LSR's as I've been keeping a steady pace while running, practicing my hydration and food intake on the go. While I've been a bit stiff post run, I've been managing pretty well. I've always seen Tralee as a stepping stone in terms of maintaining my fitness but I have seriously neglected all other forms of run training such as speedwork which I was enjoying doing late last year. I've also found that as we are in the awful Winter/Spring months, all of my running is on my own (lonely me!). I'm longing for the stretch in the evenings, running with friends and running in daylight.

Three Weeks Ago...

Two Weeks Ago...

Last Weekend...

I've my eyes set firmly on a Sub 4:00 Marathon in Tralee which I think is achievable - My last 32km run was 3 hours exactly but as the saying goes - A marathon is a 20 mile warm-up followed by a 10km race. I believe in myself enough to think clocking in under 4:00 is realistic - but I'll just have to wait and see how the road goes on the day. Having Tralee on the horizon has motivated me on those evenings when the couch (or morning's when the bed) have been oh-so-appealing.

I'm off on the second leg of our honeymoon next week which is going to put a slight halt to my training - but I have a plan to ensure I'll be race ready. I'm taking a half day from work tomorrow so I can do my long run before flying Saturday morning. I'm also bringing a pair of old runners and plan on clocking up some 5/10km runs on the treadmill in the hotel while away. I'll then get two more 19/20 milers in before the end of February and taper for the last two weeks.

But for now... Bon Voyage!

This Weekend...