Boston Prep Part 2

There is a running group in town called MIT (Marathoners in Training) that my wife runs with. They have an "advanced' group that is coached by the guy who won the 2007 Columbus Marathon. They have very specific eligibility requirements including a marathon PR of 3:20 or better.

So I've been thinking about running with these guys to help me prepare for Boston. I can see advantages to training with fast guys but also a few very big reasons to just say no. On the one hand, it would be nice to have guys who will push me on every run but with my 3:19 PR, I would certainly be one of the slowest guys out there. So I'm wondering if it would be worth it to train hard with these guys and try to improve my speed or if I would just end up with an injury from trying to do too much.

I mean, I'm smart enough to realize that I can no longer keep up with these young guys. But I'm also stubborn enough to try anyway. Can I trust myself to back off when necessary?

The other factor is training plans. I would have to take a close look at the training plan they will be following and decide if it is right for me. Having run Boston last year, I have a good idea of what it will take for me to achieve the results that I'm looking for this time. And I might just be better off following my own training plan, training alone, and lining up on race day healthy, fired up, and ready to race.

So I guess I'm leaning toward following my own training plan but it sure would be nice to be out there suffering with other idiots when it is minus ten degrees and we have to run a 20 miler. I'll have to decide for sure before Saturday.