Sunday!!

Well, the day of the race is fast approaching. My mind is calm but I am sure tomorrow I will be a nervous wreck! I can take peace in the fact that I have trained well and hard.

We will be headed down tomorrow - the kids are so excited to stay at the beach. We will hit the bed early and will anticipate a 4am wake up call. *yawn*! The start is at 6:00am so the sun will just be coming up as we run.

The course is flat and right along side the Indian River which will make a beautiful backdrop as we run. It is shaded as well so it won't get too hot. I think the weather is still supposed to be partly cloudy with a chance of a thunderstorm - mid 50's and then a high to mid 70's. I pray I can make it off the course by the time it hits 60!

My goal time is 2:30 - do I dare put that in print?? I ran two miles yesterday and my shins are not so hot today so who knows what 2 days of rest will bring. I think the shin issue is the only thing that will hold me back. After a huge Thanksgiving feast and all the leftovers, there is no way that lack of fuel will be a problem!

So today I can rest up, drink lots of water and make a mental checklist of all that needs to be done. Wait, I better write it all down! LOL!

Now, don't shoot me, we all do it!!!

Off I went this morning for my 10 miler, and last run before my half next week, and lo and behold? What did I see as I pulled into the trail head?? Porta Potties!!

I know, gross you say, but I used to be a toilet snob and now I am all too happy to use a porta potty. It *is* better than the woods ya know. And my belief is, you are not truly a runner until you have used the woods on a run. Ok, I am not going to go into *that* story!

So I can run in confidence that at some point during my run, I will have a bathroom no farther than 2.5 miles. I am covered!

And a side note, do you notice my cool headband?? 70's runner returns! I soooo need to go and buy a ear warmer thingie but this gag gift of my dh's will have to do. I tried to toss it as clutter 2 years back but thankfully it was still in it's hiding spot. Very useful as today it was 41 degree

Weather

A week or so ago I had a dream that I was running in rain. Now I don't believe that dreams come true or now do I??

I just checked the 10 day forecast and what is on tap for race day?? You got it, 30% chance of showers. I pray that this is the day that meteorologists are WRONG!

Low's around 55 Degree's F, High of 73. Race starts at 6:00am so we shall see!

Runcast TV...

What fun I had today as I went out this morning with my camera phone and snapped some shots of my trail where I run. There is a new site, Runcast TV which is a site devoted to runners. Very cool. Enjoy!

I am all for cleaning up the environment but...

This is ridiculous! I put out my water bottle for my run and when I came back 5 miles later with a gel in my mouth, and nothing!

Now I am assuming that some sweet earth conscious person tossed it in the trash, or maybe the recycling bin but I need water! Fortunately, I had a back up in my car just a few steps away.

I think next time I will keep my stash in my car. It might not be as easy to grab it but at least I will have something!

Hal Higdon with a Galloway spin...

Today I had an experiment. I was to run 5 miles and I felt pretty good as I started off. My right calf muscle is still giving me fits and today it just wasn't loosening up the way I had hoped but, hey, I am used to the pain and I kept running through it. Not good I am sure but I did it anyway.

Anyway, I have a Hal Higdon half marathon plan which I have been faithfully following. I also run it Jeff Galloway style as I run 3 minutes and then walk a minute. While I think it is the easy way out of running, it works for me at the moment! ;) So this is my experiment. I ran 3 miles Galloway style then on the 4th mile I ran straight through with no walking breaks. Then ran the last mile in the run/walk ratio. Here are my split times: Running straight is bold/italic

1 - 10:33
2 - 10:58
3 - 10:48
4 - 10:18
5 - 11:04

So was running straight really worth it for me?? No way! Even though I was a bit faster, it killed me on the last mile! So for now, I feel good about doing the whole run/walk thing.

I suppose I will continue to run like the wind - the wind is wind, no matter how fast!

Pace

Pacing is so over rated for me. As I read books it says to run easy, run hard, run slow blah blah blah. But for me, I just run to get to the end. I mean sure, I slow down if I am hyperventilating but for the most part, it takes everything I have just to keep going! I might as well walk if I go any slower! LOL!

So I know I will probably run the Half at a slower pace than what I have been running, and I am ok with that. I know there will be time to sharpen up my speed but for now I am having a blast going the distance.

I decided...

To the left there is a void. There used to be a 10K race there which was going to be in my training schedule but I opted out of it. I would much rather run the Half strong and healthy than to jeopardize my leg for a local 10K.

So tomorrow I will be going for 8 miles and I am ready!