been there, done that

This Sunday is the Run to Remember in Boston.  The weather prediction is currently 81 degrees, full sunshine.  At first glance I was annoyed...then I realized that I'd done that before just 6 short weeks ago.  And that was 26.2 miles, not just 13.1 (yes, I did say just). 

At the end of every GI Joe episode, he would always say, "And now you know and knowing is half the battle."  (Yes, I watched GI Joe growing up...I had a brother.)  I think this statement fully applies to running in the heat.  I now know what it takes to stay cool and hydrated and fueled and run a good race.  And knowing that is half the battle.  The other half is obviously putting it into practice. 

The Run to Remember folks sent out an email recently letting runners know to stay hydrated before and during the race and to assist in that, they have doubled the number of water stations along the course.  This is most excellent news because in previous years, there has not been enough water/water stations...in my opinion.  The past two times I have run this race it has been incredibly humid and warm and by the time we "back-of-the-packers" get to the water stops, there's not much left.  (The first time I ran the race, they actually had run out of water at a few of the later water stops.  Not cool.)

I plan to drown myself in water and Gatorade this week and make sure that I am sufficiently hydrated prior to Sunday.  I plan to dress accordingly to the weather prediction and, as the BAA suggested on Marathon Monday, wear white if possible and as little as decently possible (they really did say that...).

This will be the first half marathon in my ambitious goal of 12 in 12.  I think this one might be a bit of a wash due to my lack of training after coming off of the marathon, but it will be good starting point to train more seriously for the summer half marathons. 

Speaking of, I did find one for June - The Castle Awards Half Marathon in Seekonk, MA on June 10th.  Now to find one for July...