Race Week!

It's race week friends! On Saturday, Dan and I will be headed South to run the Rock & Roll San Antonio Half & Full Marathons.

This will be my 5th straight year running the full, and Dan's 5th year of running the half. And, in true San Antonio fashion, the weather forecast predicts another scorcher for Sunday (much like last year) with temps in the 80's with a chance of storms, wind, and of course, high humidity. We've had nice weather ONCE in the 5 years I've ran, so I would expect nothing less than warm & humid.

I love that the cold front comes through literally the next day.

And here's the thing with the weather: it's completely out of our control and everyone will have to run in the same conditions so no use bitchin'. Plus, I truly believe it's these types of races that make me stronger as a runner. Would I prefer cooler temps? Yes. But I am not going to spend the next few days worrying over something that is completely out of my control. And it's not like I haven't been there before with this race weather.

I've been asked several times if I am racing this race or running it just for fun. My answer is yes to both. Yes, I am racing and yes, I am running for fun. I will admit however, my definition of running for fun is probably different from most. Running for fun, for me, means getting out there and racing the best I can be that day. Giving it my all. I would be lying if I told you I was going to go out there and enjoy a leisurely stroll through San Antonio - that's just NOT me. It's not how I'm wired. It will not happen. And, believe it or not, I actually enjoy running marathons and pushing myself to the point of pure exhaustion. That is fun for me (which may make me a sick individual but so be it).

As far as my game plan, I will employ the same strategy I used last Saturday when I raced the 5k and that is to race without my Garmin (or watch of any kind) and run by feel. Though I did wear a watch in Baltimore, I didn't look at it much as I just hung with the pacers step for step. Unfortunately, San Antonio doesn't offer pace groups faster than 3:30 (boooo!) so I am on my own. I will run whatever pace my legs dictate to be "comfortably hard."

Time goals? I don't really have any. I am not gunning for a PR, but I would like to run a strong and solid race for me... so around a 3:15ish? I've typically run well at this race, and by now I know the course like the back of my hand so there won't be many surprises. My biggest challenge in this race is onset loneliness after about Mile 11. Once we split off from the half marathon runners, the crowd really spreads thin and every year I have found myself running completely alone. The back half of the course lacks many spectators, or much scenery for that matter, so it becomes more of a mental battle for me to hang tough and not slow down.

If you're bored and want to track me, you can do so at http://runrocknroll.competitor.com/san-antonio. My race # is 1017 and they should have live updates on their web site. Otherwise, I'll post my results on Twitter after the race.

Happy Running!