The state of anticipation, anxiety and restlessness during the week leading up to the Mumbai marathon on the 3rd Sunday of January has been a constant feature of life for the last 15 years. Of course, the quantum has varied from year to year depending on whether there is a stringent completion goal or not. This year , like in 2013, I am targeting to BQ with a time between 3:45 and 3:48 - the BQ time for my age group being 3:50. Have trained using the 3:45 Run Less, Run Faster training plan for the last 13 weeks (starting a week after Malnad Ultra) replacing the intervals with structured fartleks as suggested by coach and RLRF author Bill Pierce. Though the training was disrupted a bit for 2 weeks in the 2nd half of November overall most runs went well and as I am as prepared as can be. The tempo runs and the fartlek workouts all pretty much went as per target. 3 of the 4 30K runs went well. Though the left side niggle (hamstring,quads, sole) appeared on and off. The weight that has been fluctuating between 54.5Kg and 57.5 Kg for the past year or so has also stabilised to just under 55Kg. Now it all depends , as always, on everything falling into place on 20th January and nothing unforeseen happening between now and completion of the race.
From 2006, when I completed my first full marathon in Mumbai, till 2013 I was able to better my time each year before aging and injury turned the trajectory to timings between 3:46 and 3:59 except 2018 when I ran with a goal of sub 4:45 and completed in 4:34:57!
I
would be very happy to hit the timing of 2016, 3:47:15, this year including the negative
splits. However, as a strategy , I plan to do the 1st half in about 1:52 at an
average pace of 5:18 and then strive hard to keep the second half as close to
1:53 keeping in mind that I need to keep the average pace below 5:23/Km. In any case looking forward to meeting runners from around the country and enjoying the enthusiasm and support of spectators and Mumbai police yet again!
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