Race week is finally here! I am so excited to be heading to DC this weekend to compete in my very first half marathon.

If I see her on the course I may die.

Thanks for sticking with me through all of my updates and running posts so far. Today I wanted to share some of my race-week tips for anyone looking pre-race guidance.

Hydrate 

The number one thing to do on your race week is stay hydrated. I make sure I mix up regular H20 with electrolyte enhanced water (like Smartwater or Nuun tablets). I also make sure to drink one 12oz bottle of water for every alcoholic beverage I consume. I’m not going to lie and say I haven’t drank this week – I have. But I have tried to limit my intake over the week and I’m not planning on drinking anything the day before the race.

nuun is sponsoring NWM - thanks nuun!

Sleep 

Most races start super early in the morning. In the case for DC we start at 7am (not too bad) but at eastern time. That means I’m going to be getting up much earlier than I am used to. It’s important to start adjusting your body to going to sleep earlier so you aren’t a total zombie at the starting line.

Taper 

This is definitely the hardest one to do but is important so your muscles are as fresh as possible on race day. For my workouts this week, I ran 4.5 miles on Monday, rested Tuesday/Wednesday, did yoga Thursday and ran a very easy 2 miles this morning with my pup. My legs feel ready to go, but not stiff. I also got an easy sports massage this week to loosen out any last kinks.

Eat Clean 

During race week or any week before a long run, I try to eat as clean as possible by limiting my intake of processed foods. I find this helps my body feel balanced, energized and ready to rock? But what about carbo loading, you ask? Carbohydrates can be found in more than just pasta, and my grain du jour for my prerace meal is brown rice, topped off with sautéed veggies and roasted salmon.

Relax 

...Your mind that is. Any experienced runner will tell you to treat your race like any of your other long runs. If you’ve put in the miles, you will be good to go. Getting through the longer training runs mentally was harder for me than getting my mind around 13.1. I know my body can handle the mileage – now all I have to do is show up to the starting line and enjoy the efforts of my hard work!

DC Race swag

Finsher's necklaces

Nike has stepped it up with their race tracking and is offering both runner tracking AND automatic checkpoint posting via Facebook...social media addict that I am, I of course signed up (and now have realized there is no way to un-sign up) so any of my friends checking their newsfeed Sunday morning will hopefully see 3 checkins from me as I cross the start, 10k and finish line checks. Eep!!

Race Day Tracking

As for now, I'm in the air on my way to Washington - thanks to all of my amazing friends and family who have been supportive during my training this winter! Meet you at the cherry blossoms...