Change of plans

I've decided to switch training plans, 10 weeks before the marathon. This may or may not be a smart move, but I'll take my chances. I need to do some further research but it looks like I'm switching to the FIRST "first marathon training program." It involves just 3 days per week of running, supplemented with cross training. I think this will fit my schedule better, now I just have to figure out how to transition into this plan without drastically increasing my weekly mileage. Fun stuff. :)

My 10 miler yesterday went great! I ran in the morning which is SO not my style but the temp at 8am was 60 degrees, and you can't really beat that. So off I went after having some oatmeal, water, and 400mg of ibuprofen for my shins (which worked fabulously, btw). At about mile 3 I realized that I missed my turn, so my 10 miler ended up being just over 11. I was too tired to psych myself up about it so I just kept running, and I made it! I need to figure out the fuel situation because....well....right now I really don't have one and I knew I was dehydrated towards the end. Can anyone recommend a fuel belt? They seem so...nerdy. Do they have any fashionable ones?

The plan for week six is supposed to be:
Tuesday: 4 miles
Wednesday: 5 miles
Thursday: 4 miles
Sunday: 11 miles

The FIRST plan is:
Tuesday: 10-20 min warmup, 4x800m (1:30 RI), 10 min cooldown
Wednesday: cross train
Thursday: 1 mile easy, 5 tempo
Sunday: 14 miles @ PMP + 30 sec.

Last week I ran 19 miles so I'm going to have to tweak the FIRST plan. I guess I'll probably cut the long run to 12 or 13 miles, for a weekly total of 22-23 miles. Yeah, that sounds good.

I welcome any input on the FIRST plan. Has it worked for you? Did you struggle with the marathon after following it?

I've been wondering something about my marathon pace. If I can sustain a 10:30 pace for 11 easy miles, is that a realistic pace for my marathon? I guess I'm wondering, for those of you that have ran marathons, how did your training pace compare to your marathon pace...?

Have a great week!