Fontana Days Half Approaches!

Chad and I are gearing up for our next race - the Fontana Days Half Marathon is this Saturday! I have probably been a bit of an annoyance this week as it is all I talk to Chad about: what time we'll have to get up, how long it will take to get there, what we should eat beforehand, where we'll go out for breakfast afterward... I find it helps me calm down about the race itself when I visualize what it will all look like, even if nothing goes accordingly.

This is my second half marathon, and in spite of that I don't really know what to expect... this race is very different from the City of Angels half, most notably because it is entirely downhill. So even though my training has not been as intense for this race, I will probably PR significantly, and I have NO idea what that PR will be. Now you might think that a PR on an entirely downhill course isn't very fair, and I thought that at first as well. But then I realized, "hey... a huge PR like that just means I have an even higher goal to aim for at the next half." And that is my plan - whatever my time is on Saturday, however insanely, shoe-meltingly, smoking fast it is, I'm shooting to best it whenever I do a half again.

I will probably need someone to hold me to that...

My main concerns with this race are twofold.

#1: Avoiding side cramps. This is my big issue with downhill running, the jarring foot strikes put me in stitches, so to speak.

Solution: regimented breathing, engage abdominals and relax.

#2: Avoiding hip/knee injury. I've been very careful with my training since screwing up my hip earlier this year, and I do NOT want to reinjure anything now.

Solution: Pre & post race hydration and serious stretching.

Other than that, my race plan is to start easy, keep even pacing, take short & quick steps, and save some gas to burn in the final mile.

Goal time: 1:45:00

Wish us luck!