It’s Runner’s World Half and Festival Weekend!

Looking forward to a fun, busy weekend of meeting old and new running friends. And running movies, running seminars, running apparel, running gadgets… and of course, some running!

Runner’s World Half

Now that the training is done, the biggest question is the weather. And it’s looking great!! Sunny and pleasant both Saturday and Sunday… with morning temps in the high 40s, then getting up to mid 60s.

I’m doing the half marathon on Sunday and the forecast is a runner’s dream come true!
Sunday 8:30am: at the start, sunny and between 44 and 48 degrees.
Sunday 11am: (when I hope to finish), sunny and around 55 degrees.

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So what should you wear?

With a projected temps in the high 40s for the start, you will probably need a sweatshirt (or two) and maybe even sweatpants.

But for running, the general guideline is to dress for 20 degrees warmer. So dress for running in whatever you would be comfortable in if you were standing around and it was 20 warmer.

For most of the half, the temps will be around 50… so dress to run in whatever you would be comfortable in if it was around 70 degrees. For me, that will be a tee shirt and shorts.

Here’s info about the gear check Runner’s World has available…

Gear check will be provided for runners on race day. Each participant will receive a plastic bag with their race packet that will serve as your gear bag on race day to hold pre and post-race clothing while you run. Signs on race day will direct you to Gear Check. Make sure to attach your gear tag to your gear bag before you leave it with the Gear Check crew, so that it’s easy to find when you come back for it. After the race, please remember to reclaim your checked bag.

Please note: DO NOT leave valuables, cash or jewelry in your gear bag. The event is not responsible for any lost items. Gear bags must be claimed before close of the Finish Line Festival on race day.

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What nutrition will you give your body?

Another thing to think about over the next few days is what you eat. Good food (or lack thereof) will make a world of difference in how you feel on race day! Eat foods as close to their natural state as possible…. so opt for a baked potato instead of fries. Or have oatmeal instead of a sugary cereal. Reach for an apple or banana instead of a cupcake. (you can celebrate with a cupcake after you run)

Also, don’t eat too much of any one thing. Eating a variety of foods will give you better nutrition, but be careful with trying new foods. Maybe try a little, but get most of your nutrition from foods you are used to eating.

And of course, drink water regularly. You don’t have to super hydrate, but just make sure you don’t dehydrate yourself anytime between now and raceday.

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Want your world to know how your run is going?

Here’s a fun thing to do… you can have your race progress automatically post to your Facebook and/or Twitter throughout your run. Plus, your friends and family could get texts or emails with your progress as you run. Sign up here.  (don’t you love modern tech!)

btw… when I signed up, this automatically posted to my Facebook page… The split times of janet oberholtzer will be posted to my Facebook page in realtime during the upcoming 5K on race day. Powered by Xact.
I’m registered for the half, not the 5k (I even double-checked my confirmation and it says half) so I assume this is just standard wording of the automatic update.

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I want to meet you!

I’d love to meet as many of you as possible, so stop me and say hi if you see a green BECAUSE I CAN shirt anytime this weekend (don’t worry, I have multiple shirts, I won’t be wearing the same one all weekend)

I signed up for a few things ahead of time and will plan the rest of my time on the fly.

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And most importantly, have a great weekend! Do your best, but life is too short to stress over whether you covered x amount of distance in x amount of time. Unless it’s your career, running is about so much more than pace and speed. It’s about doing something that is good for your body, mind and soul.

So run well and run smart… because you can!