Fox Cities vs Lakefront

[jtpaten]

I honestly intend to qualify, as will Adimal, with a 3:10.

[Zeke]

Of course you guys want to run stride-for-stride and finish in sub-3:11.

But what happens if you guys get to mile 20 in 2:25 (roughly 3:11 pace) and you start to hurt but Adimal feels good? 

A) Does Adimal slow down and pull you to a 3:15 qualifier, but miss qualifying himself?
B) Does Adimal drag you along for another mile or two before you blow up and miss qualifying?  Maybe he goes on to qualify, maybe he sticks with you and fails to qualify too.
C) Do you go your separate ways where Adimal stays strong and runs a 3:10 while you falter a bit but still run 3:15?

Just something to think about.  I think it's great to have a training partner with similar goals, but on race day I think it's every man for himself.  Too much can happen in the span of 26 miles.  It can make running with another person very difficult.

[Peter]

Having not run Fox Cities, I can only give you my experience with Lakefront.

In 2003, with absolutely perfect conditions, I ran 3:07 for my debut.
In 2005, with it being a bit on the warm side (close to 70 at the finish, last 3 miles with a 10 mph headwind), I ran 2:59.

Unless you have severe headwinds out of the south, Lakefront is the best course for a BQ assault of the 3 fall races in Wisconsin, in my somewhat biased opinion. You run the majority of the race in the shade (east side of street when heading south for 17 of 1st 23 miles), it is flatter than a pancake, and there will be plently of people to run with btwn 3:05 and 3:15 pace - more so than Fox Cities. Maybe you don't need that, but I think it's good to have people around you. You already know the pros and cons of Whistlestop.

Of course, you are closer to Appleton, and there is an advantage to sleeping in your own bed the night before a marathon vs. being in a hotel.

It comes down to what are you most comfortable with. I've never regretted running Lakefront. Even though I passed up a chance to run Chicago on my 40th birthday for my 1st marathon, I'm convinced I ran the fastest possible time on that course.

Heck, if you run Lakefront, I'll even help devise a pace strategy for you, based on what pski planned for me last year. It worked to perfection, but it made some curious looks for the people running along side me when at mile 7, I said I was going to slow it down for the next 10 miles.

Now, I hope you and Adimal are running comfortable 35-45 mile weeks about now, ready to kick it up to the 45-55 range come 5 weeks from now 

[Adimal]

Of course you guys want to run stride-for-stride and finish in sub-3:11.

But what happens if you guys get to mile 20 in 2:25 (roughly 3:11 pace) and you start to hurt but Adimal feels good? 

The answer for me is C, if we hit 20 at the right time and jtpaten is faltering and I am not hopefully he can still get the 3:15.  Personnally I am doing all I can (physically and mentally) not to let the opposite happen, he qualifies and I do not. Yes I have much more to chew off but I am much faster at this point in the season than this time last year. 
Hey we've managed to run 5 marathons together and never finished more than 3-4 minutes apart and I've always been the one on the short end of the stick. 

C) Do you go your separate ways where Adimal stays strong and runs a 3:10 while you falter a bit but still run 3:15?

Thanks to everyone for all the advice, it's great, now we must decide and not disappoint!  We are both ready for the pfitz 18 week plan!

[Ryan]

Adimal, that's the point. If you two are 3-4 minutes apart and it works out that this next effort is the point in time where you are 3-4 minutes ahead, all you need is 3:10:59. There would be no issue with him being 3-4 minutes behind you if you're at 3:10:59 or faster.