Shamrock Pre-Race Thoughts

We woke up this morning to the sounds of a high school band starting runners at the Shamrock 8K. There was no question. . . its race weekend in Virginia Beach. Our hotel room at the Hilton is perfectly poised at the finish line of the 8K, 1/2 marathon and marathon. Out one window you can see runners streaming down the boardwalk and out the other, runners crowned with their medals as they cross the finish. Its sunny and the beach and the ocean look inviting. This is exactly the positive energy I need before tomorrow's race!


Like before all races, I'll admit I have a little of the nervous jitters. While last year's racing has helped me calm my nerves to some degree, I doubt they will ever disappear. I have my race strategy well planned out, as well as my pre-race meal (rice for breakfast) and race garb. My goal is to race in HR zone 3 through mile 8, see how I feel and move into HR zone 4 if I can. In English what does that mean? My goal is somewhere between a 9:15 pace and a 9:50 pace. It also means that if I stick to this strategy, I will have a significant PR over any 1/2 I've ever done. Part of my goal of today is to continue to believe in myself and that I can reach these goals. This is the hardest part for me. But Michael continues to believe I have it in me and that I have done the training to do it, so I'm going to take a leap and believe in myself on this and see what happens.


Time to get started for the day. On tap - the race expo and packet pick up and a visit to some VA Beach cycling/triathlon shops.


Weather report for tomorrow - not the greatest - rain and winds up to 25 mph. Hope most of the run will be a tail wind!