Ottawa Marathon (less than 24 hours)

After a fitful night I managed to sleep in until 8:30 this morning, it wasn't the evening I wanted but I've enjoyed a relaxing day and feel as good. With my racing flats on I was out the door around 9:30 a.m., the temperature around 11C (with the sun on my back I swear it was hotter). It looks like the weather is going to cooperate but if wind patterns are the same as today we'll be charging headlong into a wall during the last 8-k of the race.

Breakfast was a couple of bagels, lunch a shawarma (Ally and Hicham I thought of you) and I returned not that long ago from the same Italian restaurant I was at yesterday (spaghetti, meatballs and a glass of wine). I've borrowed a bowl from the hotel restaurant and plan to make porridge in the morning (using the coffee machine to heat the water, it worked last year). I hope to be up at 3:30 a.m. and out for a short (10') jog and as such will save much of my final preparation until the morning.

The race plan
I didn't manage to get in the training I'd hoped, at least not enough to PB and the TC 10-k four weeks ago only confirmed this. Still, I'm more excited about this race than when I ran here last year. My goals then:

C: sub 3h15 as I want to qualify for Boston, the reason I'm here
B: sub 3h
A: sub 2h50

I plan to head out at 4' km/pace. I'm sure this will feel easy, or at least it better, for the first half of the race. Without any real assessment of my fitness I'm unsure what will transpire during the remainder of the race, which I suppose is why I'm so excited. I feel like I'm racing old school. There might be a few out there rolling your eyes at my slower than usual times but I'd rather be save than sorry. If, and only if the wind is at my back, I might try and pick it up during the last 10k-15k and if so, and it's a BIG if, I might try and PB on this course.

Thanks for all the comments and until the morning ~ ciao!

Training: easy 27'