I’m two days away from the Novant Health Thunder Road Half Marathon and I’m mostly over the top excited but the butterflies are starting to creep in. Mainly for this reason.
The low on Friday night is 25 degrees. It is going to be FREEZING at the 7:45 a.m. start. And y’all know how I feel about freezing. Besides that fact that I’m just not looking forward to being cold, I also haven’t acclimated to cold weather running yet this season. We’ve had a very mild fall and my coldest run has probably been high 40s/low 50s. I always feel like the first few hot or cold runs of the season never feel great so I’m concerned about how my body will perform physically with the temps being so low. I’m just hoping it motivates me to get to the finish line faster! 🙂
I also have a few butterflies because I was gangbusters on the training plan for the first 8-10 weeks and then lost steam. My last couple of weeks of training have been lackluster to say the least. Regardless, I feel 100% prepared and ready to run. I ran 10-11 miles 5-6 times, a lot of 7-8 milers and tempo/speed work. I have three goals and I’ll be more than happy if I meet any of them. First and foremost is to PR, second is to go sub 1:50 and third is to go sub 1:45 but it would need to be a perfect day of racing for that to happen. We shall see! 🙂
The last time I ran a half marathon was Thunder Road four years ago and set my current PR of 1:52. I can’t believe it’s been four years since I ran a half! It was also freezing on that race day too as you can tell by how I’m dressed.
Speaking of how I’m dressed…here is what I’m planning for my race day outfit.
From the top down…
- A hat. I can’t decide whether I’ll wear a fleece beanie hat or a ball cap with an ear warmer. I’ll make a game time decision. I love running in hats with visors so I’ll probably go that route.
- Lululemon Run Swiftly Long-Sleeve
- Lululemon Flow Y Bra
- Lululemon gloves
- Lululemon tights. I got these a few weeks ago but they’re not available online anymore. They are amazing. The fabric is thick but breathable and snug in a cozy way. They’re cuffed around the ankles and have a high waistband that can be rolled down and big pockets on the sides.
- I’m undecided on whether I’ll wear my Spi belt. I may just carry my phone in my hand for music and put a gel and car keys in my pants pocket.
- Thorlo running socks
- Mizuno Wave Elixirs
I need to add another layer up top. I don’t know what that will be…jacket or vest. And if you’re wondering about the shoes…while I loved the Brooks Ravenna at first, I started to have some issues with them after a few weeks. I’m going to try them out again after the half but for the race I’m going to keep it safe and wear my old shoes.
Still to do…
- Decide if I’m going to wear this PBR shirt or not. Leaning towards not but considering it because it’s fun to make new friends and meet readers on the course.
- Make a playlist. I LOVE making race playlists!
- Buy some gels. I haven’t used any in training but I like to take a gel around mile 7-8 of half marathons for a little boost to the finish.
- Buy hand warmers. I’m not even kidding about this. My hands freeze when I’m running even when it’s in the 50s so I’m planning on tucking hand warmers into my gloves to keep me extra toasty. I have terrible Raynaud’s and my fingers and toes go numb so easily.
- Figure out race day logistics with parking. The race is Uptown and I need to make sure I know where I’m going to park to be optimally positioned between the start and finish.
So that’s where I’m at with the half marathon! I’m really, really, really excited about Saturday! 🙂
How do you prepare for races? Do you make playlists or lay out your clothes beforehand?
