…before D-Day tomorrow…Drake.
- Surprisingly, I feel really calm about tomorrow. I haven’t run long distances like I should have, but lately when I have been running, they have been good runs. I’ll take good shorter runs over longer crappy, form sloppy ones. It’s better for me mentally, and at this point, mental training is MUCH more important than physical. Physically I know its there.
- The forecast is rain, lots of it. That will throw me off a little bit for a few reasons: I never train in the rain, which is my own fault; and now I’m not sure what to wear. I’ve got a waterproof coat I’ll wear, but if it is going to be raining the ENTIRE time, comfort while being wet is key.
- Which leads me to the shoe issue. I recently got a new pair of shoes that are designed to be worn sockless and drain really easily. I’ve run in them a few times and they are SUPER comfortable. The issue becomes which ones to wear (old vs. new):
- Old Shoes:
- Pros: Are broken in; won’t blister; have been through a half already; basically are old reliable.
- Cons: Are heavier; retain water; way over their retirement limit.
- New Shoes:
- Pros: can be worn sockless; retain less water; drain faster; new support.
- Cons: not fully broken in; potential for blisters; never good to try something new on race day; I don’t want to get them dirty quite yet.
- Verdict: I guess I’ll know tomorrow morning. I’m just going to play it by ear.
- I thought about having a pace plan since I’ll have my nifty Garmin to guide me, but have decided against it. I’ll run fast when I feel like it, run slower when I feel like…ONLY walk through aid stations and try to keep the pace around 11:00.
- The awesome thing about this race is if I finish, then I PR. The course closes at 2:30, and I ran a 2:31.40 in my last half marathon in September. I’m going to go out on a limb and publicly state a race goal of finishing faster than 2:25 (which can be done around with an 11min pace).
- Also, I can’t guarantee lots of during the race pictures, my usual Sherpa will be running her own race…she’s running the 8K at the same time! Be sure to wish her luck, she’s got pre-race jitters!
Ok, I’ll be back later this weekend to let you know how it went! Have a good one!
Good luck to the BOTH of you - have an awesome weekend! Okay... NEVER try something new for a race day... blisters will kill your feet...just think about that 2:25 pr...if you get a blister after 60 or 70 minutes, you're stuck with that puppy for over an hour. Ouch (and yes - I'm speaking from experience here). Overall, it sounds like a super way to spend the weekend - you two are SO lucky! You get to race! YEA!!
ReplyDelete" I don’t want to get them dirty quite yet." At least your honest, it also reminds me of Carz the movie, when they were in bootcamp, and the teacher told the Hummer to go off roading, and the Hummer was scared to because it never been off road
ReplyDeleteanywhooooooooo
wear the new one!!
GOOD LUCK TO THE BOTH OF YOU!!!
Good luck tomorrow! For the sake of your feet, wear socks regardless if you are wearing the old vs new shoes. You need weeks to get used to running sockless.
ReplyDeleteGood luck to you both tomorrow! Your Sherpa is going to do awesome!! All good luck heading her way from Maine. That post is one of my favorites, BTW...I would say you might want to wear socks regardless of what shoes you wear. LOL how you wrote about getting them dirty so small! AND if it does rain, Body Glide is your friend - I get the worst chafing in the rain - under my arms and between my legs where my shorts rub. Avoid it if you can!
ReplyDeleteMandy said it and I'll say it,
ReplyDeleteB-O-D-Y G-L-I-D-E! WIth the new or old shoes, with socks or without...lather it on!
Good luck to you and BB tomorrow! Waiting with great anticipation to see how you both do. I hope the rain holds off too.
Waterproof jacket == HOT! You will roast in that thing. Think of what you would wear for a triathlon (you're wet coming out of the swim, right??) and then just add armwarmers or something if you think you'll be cold. Wear socks that you've worn lots and know do well.
ReplyDeleteI'll be out there cheering. See you at the finish line!