As I normally do, on the day before a big race or event, I did a short shakeout run this afternoon.  This kind of run typically helps as much mentally, as it does physically.

Going into a big race usually entails lots of rest.  You don’t want your legs to go completely to sleep however, so doing a short run helps.  My shakeout run today was just over twenty minutes long.  Most of it was easy paced, but I included a couple of short, fast paced intervals.

My legs have felt quite dead all week, but they felt much better this afternoon.  This was mentally, very reassuring for me.  I will now go into my run tomorrow, not worrying if my legs have finally recovered.

I have a distinct target time to beat in my half marathon tomorrow.  My plan is to run the first few miles at my target pace, using my watch to make sure that I am not going way too fast, or way too slow.  After about three miles, my plan is to cover my watch face with duct tape, and do the rest of the race by feel.

I am curious to see how I do running a solo time trial, as opposed to an actual race. I think it will be quite mentally challenging and I am looking forward to that. After my confidence boosting shakeout run, I am really looking forward to giving it my all.