Heading to South Bend

ORN: Wednesday; zero; Tuesday, 3 miles, all run

One of the surprising things to me about Jeff Galloway’s approach to running is how much deeper it goes than merely the oft’ quoted run/walk deal.

A key point is in annual race planning, whereby he urges only shooting for one or two target races each year, races in which one wants to get near to maximum effort over a specific distance. All other training then points to that race and even other races are merely training with friends and having a T shirt to prove it.

This resonated with me when I realized I was coming back from the winter’s ITB injury. The timing made this Saturday’s Sunburst half marathon my first target race of 2007. It has really been fun to ramp up to this event. Since this is my third year in a row for this race, it has both familiarity and a strong emotional appeal.

My aim is to get back under 2 hours for the half marathon, something I haven’t done since last year’s Sunburst. My “A” goal for the race is to beat 1:57. My “B” goal is under 2 hours and my “C” goal is under 2:06. The plan for the race is to use a 5 minute run, 30 second walk routine, hitting splits for 1:59 through the first 10 miles. Then, depending on how I feel, I’ll either run it in or continue the same R/W routine. I tested this pace at this ratio in a 10K race in late March; now I’ll see if I can carry it for double the distance.

I’ll have company as well. Tony, one of the veteran marathoners of our local running club, is riding up with me on Friday night. He’s running the marathon in this event. Going boldly where only Darrell has dared go before, he’s also sharing a motel room with me. Gas prices being what they are, it’ll be nice to split the costs of driving. Wish him well…I hope I don’t snore. I hope he doesn’t snore.

The race has emotional appeal for me due to its location. The real draw for this race is finishing at the 50 yard line of Notre Dame Stadium. My dad played football for Notre Dame back in the 30s, so this is a real link to him, for me to participate in a sporting event on the very turf he played on. Dad died in 1993; we were close and I still miss him a lot. When I first ran this race two years ago, my sister scanned some old family photos and put a picture of Dad playing football on the back of a white technical shirt, which I wear now in several races a year and will again on Saturday. In a symbolic way, he’s with me, in his youth and prime, charging down the tunnel and onto that most famous of college football surfaces. It’s a rush and a cool way to honor Dad.

Stay tuned for the race report. And persevere.