Off to a church business meeting in a bit so this will be quick.

Julia, Scott - after doing a hilly marathon and a flat marathon in relative closeness to one another I have to say the hilly was more enjoyable mentally.  Getting to use my muscles in a different way here and there felt better than the constant sameness of a flat course.  I also love the feeling of reaching the top of a hill and knowing I have the reward of the downhill after.  Or at least the levelness for a bit.  Mentally, it's a nice change.  You're both gonna do fine!

SIAR - Ugh, you sound like my coach.  Every time I make a joke about ever doing Boston (as in, I'll never be that fast), she tells me to stop laughing.  She see's speed in me and thinks she can work it out of me one day.  All I can think is how much that kind of speed work will hurt!  First goal she said will be to get me to a faster 5K.  After all these marathon's and some tri's, of course.  Ha.  Speaking of tri's, maybe not an Ironman this year but perhaps next year, huh?  Consider this extra time to get your skills even sharper.    Really, it's best to focus on one main goal at a time for best performance.  You're in marathon mode right now.  

Okay, being told I have to leave.  Bye!

Julia: Yep, I've got to stick to my pacing plan early on, for sure. Course crowding may help keep me from going out too fast, with the half runners starting at the same time. But any mistakes in pacing could really wreak havoc in those later miles.

MTA: Yes, I'll have to be careful on the downhills, too. That's why I'm thinking of going with an elevation-adjusted pace band that would give me specific paces for each mile based on the profile. And yes, I'm basically tapering now too!