And I'm not going particularly fast - I'm running a 5/1 at a 13:00 pace, so my adjusted pace is actually 13:57.
Here's the problem - the NWM gives you 6 and a half hours to finish, from the time the gun goes off. It starts at 7am, and we have to be finished by 1:30pm. BUT... if you're slower, you start further back. And you have to wait and wait and wait... I think I timed it once - I finally crossed the START line about 15 minutes after the race had actually started.
So, really, I have 6 hours and 15 minutes at MOST to finish the race. My pace will have me finish in about 6 hours and 5 minutes. And that's if I can stick to it - nevermind the giant hills in the first 6 miles, the crowds of people walking in my way (DOES "RUNNERS ON THE LEFT, WALKERS ON THE RIGHT" MEAN ANYTHING TO YOU????) and just plain hitting the wall. I could totally bonk at mile 20 and just not be able to run a single step further.
It's looking pretty grim.
Even if I stick to my training like a perfect angel from now until the end, there are no guarantees that race day itself will go smoothly. And obviously, I haven't been doing anything perfectly angelically.
So... here's my change of plans.
I'm going to do the half-marathon for the Nike. But I will do the full for the Silicon Valley Marathon, which is two weeks later, and is the same race everyone else in SJ Fit trains for, pretty much.
Here's why: SVM also starts at 7, but gives you about 7 hours to do it, AND San Jose is not as hilly as SF, AND a large part of the course itself is on the LOS GATOS CREEK TRAIL, which is the same trail we run every freakin Saturday. I will know that trail so well by the time race day comes that I will know which cracks to hop over in the pavement. AND it has GOT to be less crowded than the NWM, and will have more serious runners with knowledge of running etiquette. (Not to knock charity runners - because they are absolutely awesome for raising money - but the fact that they're not well-versed in running rules creates problems for those of us who ARE when we are out there on the race course.)
On the weekend of the NWM, we would be doing a 10-miler anyway. So... I'll do the 10 miles as I would've anyway, and then walk the rest. Hopefully I'll be in great shape.
I think it sounds like a good plan. Please don't tell me if it isn't. I think I would cry.