New training partners

I've been trying a couple of new things in my workouts this week. First is the Yasso 800's. Named after legendary running icon Bart Yasso who says that if you want a good predictor/workout for a marathon you should try these 800m runs. You run the 800's in the same time (in mins.) you plan on finishing the marathon (in hrs.). So for me I'm hoping to finish in 4 hours, so the 800m runs are in 4 min. You start with 5 or 6 800m intervals with a walk/jog rest of 1/2 the interval time. Then you build up to 9 or 10 of these 800's. This week I did 6 and it was a good workout. I ended up running the 800's faster than 4 mins so I'm not so sure how good of a predictor it is, but by the last couple of 800's I was feeling the burn.
My other new parter are these "magical beans" I found at Runners Corner in Orem.
They are made by Jelly Belly and are similar to the gu, or gels, you get from powerbar, etc. but taste way better. The even have EXTREME sport beans that have caffeine (mmmm vitamin C). My tactic is to take 1 or 2 beans every mile and it has transformed my long runs. Last week I had a great 14 miler and this week my 16 miler felt pretty good until the last mile. So, I ordered a bunch from REI and am excited to have some magic on my side.

I think I'm getting close to being ready to run the marathon. I'm going to keep my goals realistic and just try to finish strong and enjoy the experience. I've got a good strategy and we'll just see how I feel.