To Fuel or Not to Fuel

We're into the final countdown (cue the obligatory clip of Europe's anthem to awesomeness) until the National Half Marathon. I'm in the process of finalizing the details of the weekend. I need to get directions to the hotel and then get directions for Annie to use to get her from the hotel to the theatre for her performances and back again. I also need to find a place near the hotel for us to eat Friday night after she gets back...preferably somewhere that serves carbs by the ton! Annie's sister is competing in a triathlon on Saturday down in Manassas, VA so we'll need something with lots of healthy protein on the menu as well. Italian is a good choice.

I also want to finalize my race strategy, although the overarching strategy will be to simply finish the race! Nonetheless, analyzing the race course and elevation map will be helpful in accurately apportioning my energy over the entire length of the race. Moreover, it'll help to prepare me to know at what points I can kick into a higher gear and when I need to slow down and conserve energy for the hills. While there's a water station around the 5.5 mile mark and again around 12 miles, neither of them have GU gels, which means I'll need to carry my fuel with me AND know at what point to use it. Preferably I'd like to refuel once at the 5.5 mile station and again at the 12 mile station just for safety sake. Better to top off the tank, right? Initially I was thinking I'd just fuel once, and I actually may end using just one gel or shot block pack since each water station will also be providing Gatorade. So, I could use water at 5.5 miles to chase the gel, and maybe use Gatorade sparingly up to 12 miles (it'll probably not be the powder variety, which means it'll have more sugar in it than I'm used to) and see if it replenishes me enough to make a second fueling unneeded. I think keeping the Gatorade to a minimum will be the wisest thing to prevent any stomach issues.

In terms of weather, right now Weather.com is calling for a high of 53 and a low of 39 with 30% chance of showers. Weather Underground is forecasting a high of 52 and a low of 38. So, on average I think it should be great weather for running. I'd prefer it to be about 10 degrees warmer so I could wear a T-shirt, but being able to wear shorts is great so I'll leave well enough alone. So long as it isn't terribly windy, things should be just fine.

I got a nice 4 miles in this morning since it was a balmy 48 when I woke up this morning. I'm still debating whether to get up to run tomorrow morning or to give myself two full days before the race. They're calling for rain tomorrow, so that means there's at least a 50% chance it won't rain at all tomorrow. Weather Underground is calling for only a 30% chance of rain at 5AM with temps in the 40's so getting a final 4 miles in before the Big Day might be worthwhile to keep the pump primed. We'll see.