Spooky Sprint Preview

 

In just three days, I'll be out on the roads running my first half marathon! I've raced both longer and shorter, but the 13.1 race distance will be a new experience for me.

Training has been going excellently. I've run well over 0 times over the last three weeks, and at least twice in the last couple months. It's hard to comprehend the level of fitness I've reached, but I'll let the legs do the talking on Saturday. I've completed a rigorous periodized cross-training program, including occasional walks around the block and and often typing very fast at work. The nutrition has been dialed in as well, with plenty of calories coming in to replenish the body, including protein sources like ice cream and peanut butter cups.

Speaking of nutrition, I'd like to give a shout out to my sponsor for this event - the Butler County Donut Trail. I will be repping this great organization with their official t-shirt at the race. It's been a real treat working with the Donut Trail, and their products are sure to be my primary post-race recovery supplement.

In terms of time, the question is not whether I can break the course record, but by how much. I wouldn't say sub-60 is out of the question, but odds are are we won't push it that hard for a casual Cincinnati saunter in the park. We'll just have the front pace group set the tone at 2 hour pace and see how the morning unfolds. We do have an IAAF representative on standby in the case of a world record run, but like I said at the press conference, it's still probably about an hour out of reach for me. 

With temperatures around 49 degrees at race start, I may or may not bring along a cup of hot tea with my donut to help get through the first few miles. We are going to have a personalized pace biker giving me splits every 2-3 seconds, and donut holes every 2-3 minutes or on request. 

In terms of footwear, I'm continuing my long-standing partnership with Saucony, who have custom-shaved nine ounces from my shoes to make up for the nine pounds I gained while training. I'll be using a prototype of Saucony's proprietary HyperSpring technology in the midsole foam, which provides a 3% increase in running efficiency. This will be key for my race plan, effectively cancelling out the 3% slowdown that will result from trash-talking the competition during the race. I've prepared some solid one-liners, including "You're only beating me because I had to throw out my donut bag" and "Just wait till I get out of the bathroom."

We will report back with an in-depth analysis following the race - wish me luck.