Half Marathon Training Update: Week 20

Okay, this is it. My half marathon is this Saturday (a mere 3 days from now). I'm feeling pretty nervous about it . . . let me count the ways.

My last long run was teeeeerrible. So, so, so bad. The schedule said to do 12 miles--but my Map My Run app glitched on mile 2, and didn't kick back in for several miles, so I had no idea how far I'd actually gone. And of course, I hadn't mapped out a route beforehand . . . that's what I use the app for. So I just ran and ran and ran until I figured it had to have been at least 6 miles, then turned around and headed back.

And judging by how unbelievably exhausted I felt, and how unnaturally difficult that run was, and how close to death I felt the entire time, I was 2000% sure I had gone way too far. Until I got home, got online, mapped my route, and realized I had barely scraped 10. Which is still a super long distance for me! But it wasn't the distance I was supposed to do, and definitely not what that run felt like.

So all my confidence for the race basically went up in flames that day (if 10 miles was pure torture, how will I manage 13?!), and now I can only picture myself hobbling along in total agony, and possibly faking an injury so a medic has to pick me up and wheel me across the finish line.

I keep telling myself that one awful run isn't indicative of how the race will actually go, and I have gone as far as 11 miles and felt good . . . but it still made me feel really nervous and insecure to have that one really terrible run, especially so close to the race.

I've been feeling kind of burned out on my training schedule these last few weeks, too. As much as I'm enjoying running, there are so many days when I'd really love to just run the distance I feel like running instead of religiously following the dang schedule. I've given myself some flexibility on my schedule over the past few weeks, but I always feel kind of guilty about it, and wonder if I'll pay for it later?

In slightly better news, I got new running shoes a few weeks ago and am really loving them, and this water belt is saving my life on every run over about 4 miles. I worried it would be really uncomfortable to run with, and while it's certainly more comfortable to run without it, it's about as comfortable as you can expect running with a fanny pack to be.

If you've run a half marathon (or any race, really), I would love to hear your advice and experience for the day of the race. This is my first race, so I feel kind of clueless. Like, what do you eat the night before? And for breakfast? Do you carry along something to eat partway through? Can/should I wear that water belt during the race, or would it better to run more comfortably without it and just grab water along the course? Any tips you might have for me would be greatly appreciated. And hopefully I'll survive to give you a recap of how it went early next week.