Just read Hal's tip of the week regarding preparation, and thought I'd add my two cents. Hal says:
"Practice makes perfect. Practice not only running, but everything else related to race day. That includes equipment. Do you know what shoes you'll wear on race day? Buy a new pair now! How about shorts and singlet? Test your clothing in training to make sure nothing chafes or causes a blister. Do you expect hot or cold weather race day? Weather can be unpredictable. Will you be prepared if the temperature suddenly drops (or rises) 30 degrees on race day? Consider every scenario you might encounter."
I've been meaning to share a few tips that will help y'all prepare for the Austin Marathon.
First, y'all should know that Austin has VERY variable weather. It's totally unlike Portland, which will be consistently in the 40/50s all winter. One day we will have a crisp morning in the 30s, the next day it will be 80 degrees and sunny. Yesterday the high was 80 degrees, and I went running in a t-shirt and shorts! So, bring multiple racing outfits, because there is no way to predict the temps on marathon day. However, you can safely assume that it will be sunny. It hardly rains here!
Another thing to mention is that the marathon course is very hilly. Parts of it are rolling hills like Helvetia, other parts have long gradual uphill and then downhill stretches. Check out the course elevation graph. In my training group, we have been including hills in a lot of our long runs, including running parts of the course. In Portland, I'd say run Terwilliger every few weekends, and maybe some runs on the east side around Faith's neighborhood.
Hm, what else? It is pretty dry here, so plan on constantly being thirsty while you are here, and drinking lots of water. Pack your short shorts, cowboy boots, and sunglasses. It is usually gorgeous and sunny during our Sunday morning runs, so I'm thinking we are in for a beautiful marathon!
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