HOT!

Oy vey! The forecast for Marine Corps Marathon & 50k on Sunday is HOT! While we will start the race at approximately 60F, by 11am (<4 hrs into the 50k), it will be 72F. And the forecast high for the day (likely hitting by 1pm) is about 78F. This is going to be a brutal day. I'm glad that I've shifted down to the 5:30 pace group. Even though the pace, itself, is certainly on the difficultly slow side for me, going the slower pace will make things MUCH more manageable. Yes, I'll be drinking plenty of water. And I'll be dousing myself with at least 1 cup of water at every water stop. Most likely 2 cups. Definitely the best way to keep core temp as low as possible. Hopefully there will even be a makeshift ice stop somewhere on the course where I can put some ice cubes into my cap.

Anyone who is running either race and trained for a specific time, if you can, shift your goal back by at least 10-20 minutes for the marathon. For those running with a 50k pace group, we only have groups at 30-minute intervals. Be willing to do that from the get-go. You can always speed up later in the race when you recognize you have an extra gear or two. Going out too strong and then once the heat hits is a recipe for ropping your later paces MUCH more and finishing even worse than starting out and staying "slow" for the whole time.

Hoping to not have many people getting heat stroke, hypernatremia, or excessive dehydration on the course. I saw lots of people in Sydney on the ground being tended to by the medical staff, since the temps were comparable to what we'll be having on Sunday. It's always disconcerting and worrying. Take care of yourself. If you don't feel good, put the ego aside and get assistance. You may be able to get back on the course. But even if it winds up resulting in a DNF, much better that than ending up in the hospital (or worse).

Looking forward to having an excited group to carry through all 50k. And hoping them stay with me and I get to cheer them up the Iwo to the finish in front of me, rather than have them fall behind.