Ready to Race!

My next race is Saturday, and I actually feel ready - which is unusual.  I typically always feel under prepared for things.  Since my last race, I've been really focused and consistent, running 3 weeks of 30+ miles.  Even with a race, this week should end up with mileage in the mid 20s.

The Outer Banks was great.  A few days without a schedule - no clock telling me when to be somewhere.  We spent a lot of time lounging around, enjoying the company of some friends from college, and of course plenty of cold, distilled beverages.  Of the 4 days we were there, I ran twice on the beach - a 5 mile run and a 6 mile run.  Nothing too hard, just putting in some miles in the sand and surf, working on my tan.  We all got pretty badly sunburned on Sunday, spending too much time out on the beach having fun.  I'm starting to peel a little, but it's looking like that tan will turn out pretty nicely this year...

Enough reminiscing, back to business.  The plan Saturday is simple - get on pace, stay on pace, turn up the pace when the finish line comes into sight.  I'm hoping to settle into a 6:20 pace early on and maintain it until the last half mile or so, then dig deep and find a bit more.  I'd be ok with a a little slower, but this would give me enough cushion to deal with any slowdowns mid-race and still get under 20 minutes.

Once this race is over, I'll use the results to recalibrate my training paces and update my plan for the coming weeks.  I've got a big increase in mileage on the way, my body has responded well to 30 miles per week.  For the next race (end of the month), I'd like to be training with my mileage in the high 30, cracking into the 40s soon after that to begin preparing for half marathon training.  It's been a long time since I had my mileage at this level comfortably, I'm kind of excited about moving into higher mileage (nerdy, I know).