I want to send a huge THANK YOU out to everyone who commented yesterday and gave suggestions, advice & encouragement as to my race strategy for the Palos Half.

The tips are much appreciated and I have already implemented a few by going out and running relatively hard this morning.  Once I warmed up, I tried to focus on getting good/fast foot turnover to try to increase my speed.  I only ran 4 miles but it was pitch black dark without any star and/or moon support at 4am.  It was also 31 degrees so it took me a bit to get warmed up and stop thinking about the weather.  I believe my splits were:  8:25, 8:21, 8:23 & 7:53.  I was aiming more toward low 8s but I was running by feel since it was dark, using my KnuckleLights, and I was honestly more focused on what was happening around me in the dark than my pace.   Technically, I just wanted to attempt running fast in the dark down the middle of the road where it is flat and not sloped.  Overall, I was pleased, particularly with the last mile but don’t we all run that last mile hard back into our safety zone driveway?  My normal early morning, run in the dark, pace is 9:28-9:30 so this was definitely a successful run.  Yes, the foundation has been laid.  The miles have been ran.  The work has been done.  All of you know the drill and had wonderful advice.  Please know that if I finally get my 1:50, all of you can own it too with your many words of wisdom and constant encouragement! 

Do you have any training or race questions?  If so, let me know and we will get a suggestion box going for you! 

Thanks Again & Happy Running,                                                                                        Amanda – TooTallFritz