The New York Marathon is in just 14 days. Today’s run, the last long one at 22k before the big day, had me splashing through puddles for the bulk of it. Passers-by shake their heads in dismay wondering what kind of fruitcake would be out in a pair of shorts and a t-shirt in that kind of weather – torrential rain. Other runners, it seems, recognise a kindred spirit (fruitcake) and nod or say hello more frequently than usual.
With my training all but done, it’s either in me or it isn’t. This time round, the second marathon this year, I’ve certainly down the distance, 651km since May 1st (versus 655 in the run up to London over the same period), but my pace is slower – my fastest half marathon was in Nottingham at just under 1h 47m, against 1h 41m (from memory) in Reading in March. Nottingham was definitely a tougher course, but I can’t use that as an excuse as my average pace has been down on every run except the Nike 10k a couple of weeks ago when I ran my fastest 10k in about 8 years.
Here’s the monthly distance chart for the last 12 months
And the monthly average pace graph for the same period
Comparisons are a bit difficult – London came near the end of April, New York is at the start of November. But I ought to be hitting 5:45/km or faster this month and, apart from the Nike 10k, I’m at 6:00/km. Still I can live with that difference, this one isn’t so much about the time or the finish quartile, it’s about the fun and experience of running the streets of New York with no cars and with millions of people out to watch. I’m looking forward to it.
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