My second half marathon is in 17 days. I’m starting to get ready…both mentally and physically. I realized the other day that there are things I do, a lot of them without really thinking about them. I figured I would share them all with you!

1. No new foods. For the two weeks leading up to a big race, I eat nothing that I haven’t eaten before. I don’t want to risk any kind of gut upset. The last week, sometimes I will add one carb in a day. Before my last half, I went to Panera, got a half dozen plain bagels, popped them in the freezer, and ate one a day with my afternoon coffee leading up to the race. I don’t know if this helped, but I do love me a good bagel!

2. Wear my Garmin. Since I have my Vivofit, which doubles as my every day watch, I don’t usually wear my Garmin 220 unless I’m going to run. However, in the two weeks or so leading up to the race, I will find myself putting it on for the day. One of my big mantras for the spring half was “remember your training.” I was conquering a distance I had never done before, and yet I knew I was ready because I had put in the time. By wearing my Garmin, I can look back on those big training runs, those fast speedwork sessions, and all the happy easy runs in between.

3. Get the playlist ready. I’m a creature of habit when it comes to my music. I have a couple of songs that have been on my playlist for over a year. I’m not someone who is constantly needing new music for my runs. However, I do add a couple new songs every now and then. Here’s my current playlist that I will use on October 12th. It’s bugging me that there are only 19 songs…I need an even 20.

4. Stretch and foam roll, even on the days that you don’t run. I often neglect my stretching, but I make a point to do it before a race. I do sun salutations when I wake up and I am foam roll everything, especially my back which likes to hold race tension.

5. Sleep. I try to get to bed a bit earlier the few nights before. I never sleep well the night before a race, so it’s nice to have some sleep banked.

Those are probably the top five things I focus on to get ready for a half marathon. I had a good race last time, minus the whole foot thing. I hope this time is even better.

What do YOU do to get ready for a big race??