My next (and 2nd official) half marathon is tomorrow, and I am ready to go. At gun time, it will have been 8 days since my last run--thank you IT Band--when I did 18 kilometers. That's some serious tapering on my part.
If I weren't doing a half, I'd have taken some easy 5k treadmill recovery runs. For the record, I do not expect to set a new half marathon PR tomorrow. The reasons are pretty clear, my IT band is really being trouble.
My weight (currently 175, which is good for my height and frame... I'm 6 feet tall) is probably 3-4 lbs heavier this time around. That said, my training has consisted of 175 kilometers over the last 6 weeks (compared to 130 kilometers in the same period leading up to my first half marathon)--since virtually all of this has been at 480-500 meters elevation (not to mention the running in Alberta, where the elevation is over 1,000), I'm properly acclimated to running in Saskatoon. If I'm really lucky, and my IT band holds up, you never know... Maybe I beat my half time from Ontario? Hmmm....
In the lead up to tomorrow's race, I've cut back on processed foods, and pretty much eliminated junk food.... Well except for part of a bag of Cheezies, a few servings of Spicy Kraft Dinner... and a handful of Maltesers. Oy vey.
Of course, my real diet has consisted of items like green bell peppers, breakfast sausage, eggs, broccoli, bananas, crystal light, chicken and (occasionally) pasta. Right now it looks like my dinner before the half marathon will be a homemade pizza (isn't my girlfriend awesome?).
The weather at gun time will be anywhere from +1C to +5C (31-41F). If it reaches +5, this *could* the warmest run I've had over 12 kilometers in as many years. Strange, but true. I intend to wear my Brooks Adrenaline GTS running shoes, Brooks pants + Reebok top with 1/4 zipper. Would be nice to wear the fitted Under Armour leggings, but hey.
So my prediction, unfortunately, is that I am going to finish in 2 hours and 20 minutes. My IT band has hurt profusely on every recent instance of running above 5k. Additionally, my body still needs to adjust to the hip adjustments--trust me, my leg muscles are learning to run again right now. That said, my work with the foam roller (only recently begun), proper rest, and actual improvement might make it possible to come in under 2 hours. My goal, is 1:59, by the way.
On a more positive note, I'm scheduled to be in Winnipeg in about 7 weeks for the Manitoba Half Marathon. Winnipeg is 200 meters below Saskatoon in altitude, so that (along with a careful start to my marathon training) could be an advantage. Obviously, my goal will be to set a new PR; but I'll be aiming for 1:45. After that, the next half marathon will be in July in Saskatoon.
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