The Day Before Twenty

I was reading this month's Runner's World on the way to work and came across an article on preparation the day before a race, so it got me thinking... what am I doing today? (the day before a 20 miler)

Breakfast: A skinny hazelnut latte and a plain old fashioned doughnut — not the best breakfast, but it's a Friday and it will get me through my morning at work. Typically it would be a bowl of cereal and maybe some toast.

Lunch: Meeting a couple fellow runners to catch up and enjoy a mid-day break. Not sure where we are eating, but a sandwich sounds pretty good. I'll most likely eat something light and nothing to heavy. Salad would be perfect, but I don't like lettuce so that kind of scratches out that option. Soup is also a good option (again, nothing too heavy).

Dinner: Mini-turkey burgers! LOL. Definitely not a pre-race or long run meal, but it is turkey meat —  bonus! And they are mini burgers — second bonus! I'll only have one since I have an early wake up call (4:30 a.m.) it needs to be a light meal. Everyone knows the pasta pre-race meal, but I would also like to suggest a baked potato (with some extra salt). Also good on sodium and carbs and a different option than the typical pasta.

Early Bed Time: Eight hours will be ideal, but that means an 8:30 bed time, so that's not gonna happen... as i write this blog, it is quickly turning into a "Do what I say, not what I do." type post, sorry about that.

Hydrate: Here we go. This I am following. I will be staying up on my water intake throughout the day. Before long runs 20 and above, I keep water easily accessible a few days before, but do not chug water or over-drink. I keep it to my normal amounts and intake maybe slightly more than usual. There's one where I practice what I preach.

Since this is a twenty mile training run, my day-before rituals are less strict. If this were a 22-24 or a marathon, the above would be drastically different. For some BETTER TIPS and GOOD PRACTICES the day before long runs, check out Runner's World's tips:

Routine Matters (Day Before and Race Day tips)

A Jump Start (Refuel after a morning run)

What to Drink and When (Hydration tips)

Does that help recover my post from a "what not to do list?"