The 5-N-Go Tempo run is a great confidence booster.

Yesterday was my last long run before my first marathon.  The race is 20 days away now and I feel more confident than ever thanks to a great tempo run that I found on competitor.com called the 5-n-Go Tempo run.  I will explain more about what it is in a second though… 

Yesterday, I got up for my 5:00 AM run.  I ate and stretched before leaving for what would be the hardest run I have ever attempted.  I knew the weather would be terrible, which was making me more excited to get out there.  I know it sounds stupid… really stupid!  I figured that if I could do 20 miles in a constant rain, 13 mile an hour winds, and 1,539 feet of elevation gain, then I will be more prepared for the race.  I didn’t stop there though.  Instead of going slower like my training plan called for, I decided to do the Double 5-n-Go Tempo run. 

The Double 5-n-Go Tempo Run consists of the following:

3 miles at an easy pace (9:30 min/mile)

5 miles at goal race pace (9:00 min/mile)

1 mile at 15-20 seconds faster than race pace (8:45 min/mile pace)

2 miles at miles at an easy pace (9:30 min/mile)

5 miles at goal race pace (9:00 min/mile)

1 mile at 15-20 seconds faster than race pace (8:45 min/mile pace)

3 miles at an easy pace (9:30 min/mile)

My goal race pace is 9:10 min/mile, which will get me to the finish line in 4 hours even.  I have been training at a 9:00 min/mile goal pace though to add in a little extra cushion.  I figured that my easy pace should be 30 seconds slower than my goal pace.  The article describes both a 5-n-Go Tempo, which is for half marathon training (10 miles) and the Double 5-n-Go Tempo, which is for full marathon training.  It should be done 2 weeks before your half marathon or 3 weeks before your full marathon so your body can recover adequately before the race.  Be sure to spend some extra recovery days after this workout because it is so demanding.  I finished my Double 5-n-GoTempo run at a 9:11 average pace, although I did stop my Garmin at every red light.  I know that I won’t be stopping during the race, but there won’t be stoplights either. 

I am in my 16th week of training for my first marathon.  It consists of:

Monday: 15 mile recovery bike ride

Tuesday: 5 mile run

Wednesday: 6 mile run

Thursday: 15 mile bike ride

Friday: Rest

Saturday: 8 mile run

Sunday: 13 mile run

Now that it is all downhill from here, I am really excited for race day.  I would love to reach my goal of finishing in 4:00:00, but ultimately I would just be happy finishing.  I know without a shadow of a doubt that I will be able to cross the finish line.  Training for races (especially marathons) is very time consuming and really takes a team to be successful.  I feel truly grateful for my training partners for pushing me, especially when I don’t feel like pushing hard.  You know who you are.  Also, none of this would be possible if it weren’t for my amazing wife.  While I am the one running the race, she is watching the kids and picking up my slack.  She is my ultimate partner, both in life and in my training.  Thank you baby, I am one lucky guy!!!