Race Preview

Tomorrow at 9 am is the starting gun for the Resolution Run (a.k.a. the Get Your Rear In Gear) half marathon. This is the first half marathon for us, and the only race that has been on the schedule during our marathon training plan. It's also the first race since September 20th, when we did the Ache Around the Lake 5 mile race.

So I've put about 350 miles under the feet between races, blown through a set of running shoes all in a tunnel that I couldn't see the light at the end of. So this should be a really cool race. It's nice to see that light. Also, the realization hits home that the Myrtle Beach marathon is only 6 weeks away. Last weekend the long run was 19 miles, next weekend it's 20 miles. So I'm not worried about the distance here. But the fact is we only have two more runs over 15 miles on the schedule before the marathon. So it's going to be here before you know it.

Tomorrow's course is 13.1 miles, and it starts/ends/park the car at the YMCA in Traveler's Rest, SC. Furman University is home to the FIRST training program center, and is also in Traveler's Rest. This is about 10 miles from my house. Most runners have heard of FIRST, but might not realize that it's close to me. Greenville sits in the foothills, and TR is in the hills. It's a small suburb of Greenville, just like Taylors (where my house is). But it's on the mountain side of Greenville, so the course is pretty hilly. This a small race organized by the people at the Y, so there is no course map available online, and I have no idea what the route will be tomorrow. But my favorite golf course is also in TR, and I never played a level lie on there. So I don't expect there to be much flatland to run through.

We're doing the marathon in Myrtle Beach because it is flat. Running the hills is still beyond our skill level, so this is going to be interesting. We should be in good enough shape to handle the hills, and hopefully that will make it a really fun course. The weather is expected to be around 60 degrees and sunny for the 9 AM start.

TODAY however, it's rainy and in the low 40's. I came down with a cold late yesterday afternoon. Sinuses, the head is a little jiggly feeling, and a sore throat. I'm thinking it's just a 24 hour thing, so I should be fine by tomorrow. Wifey's broken toe was feeling better today, until Evil Genius stepped on it again this morning to re-aggravate it a little bit. She's kind of unsure about running tomorrow. I don't want to run with a cold, it will just depress my immune system more. She doesn't want to run out-of-balance and end up tearing up a knee or ankle because her form has adjusted to compensate for the broken toe.

Got any tips for staying healthy before a race? I'm using my go-to guy Pomegranate Juice with Blueberry. Down a 20 oz bottle every day until you feel better. My chiropractor got me turned on to this stuff, it's like OJ times 1000. Very effective stuff. Also going with some vitamins and lots of fruit today. One other thing I picked up along the way: Listerine every couple of hours. It kills the germs inside your mouth, where colds can spread. Apparently Lance uses it all the time when he gets a cold. I'm also spending the afternoon with Green Tea.

So wish me luck tomorrow! both to beat the cold, and beat my goal time of 2:30. With the hills and the cold, I'm not real hopeful about the goal time. But if i can finish the half in less than 2.5 hours, maybe i can finish the full in less than 5.