The last 5 months I have been training from scratch to where I'm now, feeling pretty fit and confident to make it, running the 26.2 miles or 42.195 kilometers. From the start on Staten Island through Brooklyn into Queens, than move onto Manhattan and via a loop in the Bronx coming back to Manhattan where Central Park will be part of the last miles until the finish at Tavern on the Green. I think this will be a day to remember with five bridges to cross supported by more than 100 live bands and thousands of New Yorkers along the course.
The training has been intense in the last 2 months building endurance with 3 to 4 'short' runs during the week and 1 long run every weekend. The climax was a 20 miles (32 km) long run some weeks ago which I completed in 2hr52mins. It gave me the confidence of setting a personal goal of 3hr45mins for the full marathon. It's not going to be easy, but I'm loving it, working towards my goal of running the marathon in a competitive 'first-time marathoner' pace.In the coming couple of weeks I will be trying to get as fit and well-rested as I can by reducing the mileage per training run. And I will try to remain far from my biggest fear: getting injured...
At the moment I feel excited and nervous about the day I have been focusing on. Let the pasta party begin, I'm ready to go!
