Er, I’ve missed last Sunday’s long run. It was supposed to be 11 miles. I missed it because of a severe case of heartburn. I just about died when I got up at 3am, trying to appease my torso area. Fast forward to today. There are only 3 more days left until the Surf City Half Marathon.
My original goal was to run it under 3 hours.
After realizing that I’m a wuss when it came to cold weather/rain training, I changed it back to “run it in 3:15.”
Seeing that my training has been pretty pathetic, I’ve decided my goal for this race are:
- finish the race
- run it under 3:15
- don’t die
- don’t cry
- don’t give up
- if I start to die, run it under 3:45
I’m feeling some fear or anxiety about this race. It’s so close, and yet it seems so surreal. I haven’t prepped the way I did for Long Beach (my first half). The only thing I can do is stay positive.
Dear baby Jesus, please help me stay the course and stay focused on Sunday. I have a feeling it’s going to be a tough race.
I can totally relate to how you’re feeling right now. I was totally unprepared for Surf City both years I ran it. I’m glad that you’re staying positive. I think you should also focus on the fact that 1) you most DEFINITELY will finish the race 2) you have 5 weeks of solid training under your belt (9 miles is a great gateway distance for a half) and 3) you’ve already done this before (you’ll be surprised with how much your body and your muscles will remember!). Adrenaline will take you the rest of the way =)
Now, just a few reminders!
- Don’t forget to hydrate really well the days leading up to the race.
- Don’t eat anything different the day before or the day of the race.
- When you wake up race morning, be sure to eat some carbs to top off your glycogen stores and to drink some more fluid about 2 hours before race time.
- Start the race conservatively. Run slower than you feel like running at the moment. You’ll have your Garmin with you so use that to help keep yourself in line. If you decide to use the heart rate monitor, you can use it to gauge how hard you’re working (aim for around 70-80% your max HR).
- Start eating and drinking early on in the race.
- Eat and drink frequently
- Bring a garbage bag/rain gear just in case
- Have fun and enjoy the sights!
As Raciel always tells me, “You can do eeeeeeeeet!” =)
chris Reply:
February 6th, 2010 at 9:52 pm
you’re the best, sheryl! thanks for your words of encouragement and positivity!!