Three to get ready

Here's the breakdown for my last 20-miler before the marathon, which occurred on Sunday, September 11:

Individual Miles						Averages
Miles 1-5	9:25	9:22	9:23	9:07	9:23	9:20	9:12	9:03
Miles 6-10	8:54	9:04	9:24	8:47	9:14	9:05
Miles 11-15	9:37	8:08	8:40	8:35	8:44	8:45	8:52
Miles 16-20	8:49	8:23	9:19	9:11	9:19	9:00

According to my forerunner, I ran these 20 miles faster than my targeted marathon pace. This is obviously a good sign. However, I'm guessing that the many trees and hills of Beaverton, Oregon caused some GPS tracking difficulties, and perhaps the time is reported a little quicker than it actually was. One specific occurrence is mile # 12 -- I highly doubt that I ran this mile in just over eight minutes. So, take it for what it's worth.

Another element that worked in my favor was the weather. It was a wonderfully cool morning. I ran the first 3.5 miles with a light jacket, and then my standard running outfit (dri-fit shirt & shorts) for the rest of the run.

Did the hills slow me down at all? Apparently not. But to be completely honest, the hills I ran were gentle slopes compared to some of the roads in Oregon.

Here's a graph of my results:


Let the three-week tapering period begin!