Ready, Set, Wait!

Less than 48 hours to go before the race. I'm starting to get really excited. I have to trust that my training and preparations can guide me through the race and perseverance and determination can carry me through if my training is not enough.

I cancelled my swim last night in order to pick up my race kit. Not a lot of swag this year, I'm not sure if the recession or lack of title sponsor is to blame. As you can see from the picture, the shirt is pretty nice. Almost exactly the same as 2008 but in a different color scheme.
I'm really glad I got this shirt. The 10k shirt are dark black and the women's half shirts are white with baby pink highlights. I haven't seen the marathoner shirts yet, they usually get the best ones.

Also included is a bag of "new" french onion flavored tortillas, 25g serving. Don't get me wrong, free stuff is nice, but what am I expected to do with 25 grams of tortillas. These look essentially like multigrain nachos, a source of fiber they say. The roll of werther's original is very appreciated, I love those caramel candies. The bag itself is nice, I can always use an extra shoe bag, thanks Mizuno!

Also at the fair were a number of exhibits selling all kinds of running and athletic merchandise. The Mizuno booth was really nice with an electronic running strip where they could analyze your gait and recommend the best footwear. It seemed very busy so I decided to skip the lineup since I was getting hungry and Alex was waiting for me at home to fire up the grill for some delicious burgers (red meat = iron!).

Since this is likely my last post before the race, except maybe for a short entry on race day where I may pop in to let you all know how I feel before the race, I will let you in on my race strategy. I intend to beat my previous PB. It feels good to say it. I hope I can deliver. I set my trusty Garmin to annoy the heck out of me (I usually want to throw it in the river by the time I make the halfway mark, sorry for runners beside me hearing it constantly beep me back into pace). The goal is to run the first kilometer in under 5:30, and then keep it under 4:50 until the last kilometer where all hell will break loose and I will sprint to the end. Does that sound reasonable? Probably not. But if I can be lucky enough to get in the zone like I did for my perfect run, then all will be good. Competition and adrenaline should help me turn out an outstanding performance.

This is what I am up against:
I'm still not sure what I will do for hydration. There are water and sports drink stations peppered around the course. I usually bring a water belt with me in case I want to drink in between or if the stations are too busy. I will make this a last minute decision based on the weather and my feel for the day. This is what I plan to wear:
I may go with a shirt that is not so skin tight, again, depending on the weather. I am really excited to wear my aussieBum short shorts. I don't usually have permission to wear them for training since they are considered a bit too revealing by Alex. He does recognize that they make me faster (mostly psychological, I have to admit) so I get special permission to wear them at races.

If you are there on race day and see me, come by and say hi!

My plans for after the race? Head over to the nearest Harvey's and indulge in a free Harvey's burger. I'm not sure if they plan this on purpose but for the last few years, the free burger day has coincided with the Ottawa Marathon. So head on over from 10:30 to 15:00 for a free burger. Be prepared to wait in line, last year we waited about 45 minutes. At $3 for a burger, you are essentially valuing your time at $4 and hour, but who cares, it's free burgers!!!

Good luck to everyone participating in the weekend's various races!!

Tapering Strategy

A lot of people ask me how I prepare for a race. They are often curious to see what I need to eat and how I adjust my training close to an event. The professional term for this is tapering. Tapering can be defined as reducing exercise prior to an important performance.

My tapering strategy usually consists of turning into a lazy bum for a week or two. This year will be a bit different. I will be keeping my swimming routine and avoiding all cycling and running except for a run to loosen me up some time midweek depending on weather and schedule. I do not think the swimming can really affect my running performance and I like the outlet it gives me for spending some energy and getting my muscles relaxed. Cycling will be avoided because I think it played a major part in my knee problems and I want to make sure I am in optimal shape for the race. I will also pay extra attention to my stretching.

As far as nutrition goes, I have to take care not to eat too much cause I do not want to enter the race overweight :) While there is not really a risk of that, my daily appetite is for 3000-4000 calories will see a surplus at the end of the day when I am not running or biking to burn all that energy. At the same time, I also have to make sure that I stock up on essential nutriments such as iron and potassium. So my diet will be aimed at lots of vegetables and red meat. Yeah, bring on the burgers and spinach salads! I also need to hydrate myself well. I am not talking drinking beer and wine here, but rather lots of water and fruit juices. A friend recommended coconut water as a natural sports drink, I will give that a shot :)

So I want to enter the race fully hydrated and with my glycogen stores fully replenished. The last 36 hours are especially important for this. My usual way of telling is to drink until my pee is clear... My "last meal" consists of a big spaghetti dinner with lots and lots of special sauce. I usually also have some delicious chocolate éclairs for desserts. The morning of, I usually like a small snack. A single toast with peanut butter and honey accompanied by a glass of chocolate soy milk usually does the trick.

I can't wait until the race. I hope the weather will be good.