Friday Five: Autumn Blast Half Prep

Hola, I thought I'd join in on the LAST Friday Five ever (sobbing) and document my prep for tomorrow's race. But first, I want to thank Mar, Courtney, and Cynthia for the awesome linkup. I've "met" so many inspiring folks through Friday Five.

Changes to the Race
The Autumn Blast Half used to be the Loveland Half and was my favorite race of the year. It was a beautiful course with a start/finish in the quaint town of Loveland, which included a few diners for Alex to relax in while I ran. Unfortunately, Loveland is under construction and the race was moved to the nearby town South Lebanon. Gone are the diners (for Alex) and the confidence (for me) that comes with knowing a course inside and out. On top of everything, I talked a friend into running it with me, so I'm really worried the new location will suck. Don't you hate that?

The Weather 
In years past, it's been gray and overcast with temps from the upper 30s to low 40s. This year will be a bit warmer: 53-62º from start to finish. That's quite a range. I plan on wearing a tank, shorts, and gloves. Oh yeah, and due to the warmer weather the trails won't be full of fall color. Bummer!

The Course 

The old course had a long-ish hill in the first three miles, then we turned onto a flat bike path. This year's course has one steep, quick hill (and downhill), then we go on to a bike path with rolling hills. I don't really know if it's better to get one terrible hill out of the way or if it will use up all of my energy. Elevation gain is about the same. 238 vs 243 ft. 

Goals
Man, I have no idea. I had a lackluster training season. It was really hot and I cut midweek runs short. My paces have been pretty quick, but I have no confidence. As I mentioned in Monday's weekly review, I originally planned to run my second sub-2, but who knows. A month ago I ran Indy Women's in 2:02 without paying attention to my pace, so maybe I can pull something off.

With the unknowns in mind, here are my rough goals:
AA: I'm just adding this to be funny. If I could control everything and if I feel better than ever, I'd love to run a pace with an 8 in front. 1:56-1:57 finish. Honestly, I haven't trained for this.
A: Perfect day: another sub-2. Maybe not a PR (1:58), but a 9:09 or better pace.
B: Reasonable goal: under 2:05 finish
C: Don't walk. But man I hope I don't have to resort to this goal. I think I'm beyond this now.

Tonight and Tomorrow
All I can do now is my 2 mile shake out run, finish packing, eat well, drink plenty of water, and get a good night's sleep before tomorrow's race. I'm more nervous that usual. I'm hoping I can channel that into a strong race... somehow!

Have a great weekend! Don't forget to visit Mar, Courtney, and Cynthia!