This being my first Half Ironman, it is crucial that I find the right pace so that I complete the 70.3 miles successfully. With that being said, I am researching and studying up on how to make this race my best race ever.

One thing that is very important when training for a long distance race, is knowing how to pace yourself.

In researching I found some great strategies on how to pace properly for a Half Ironman. Here is what I plan to do:

1. Go out easy on the swim. I will use it as a warm-up for my bike. Going two to ten minutes faster on my swim won’t make a difference and may result in a slower run by 20 minutes.
2. Allow myself to adjust. I’ve come to learn that the my body needs about 6 to 10 minutes to adjust from swimming to biking. I plan to start light on the gear and work on rehydrating myself until my heart rate adjust to being on the bike. Then I plan to eat a little something to fuel my body. It’s going to be a long ride so there will be plenty of time to hammer it out later.
3. Use the bike ride to replenish myself from what I will lose from swim and prepare me for my run.
4. For the run, I have to remind myself to start SLOW. I have to remember that I have a half marathon to run. I don’t want to blow my load in the first mile. My plan is to get a good rhythm going and waking up my running muscles. In the last mile I plan to give it my all or enjoy the tail end of the race. We shall see.
5. Last but not least: I believe in myself as an athlete and know I will prepare properly to find MY pace.

The above is how I plan to accomplish my race. However, leading up to August 28, I plan to take the best care of myself through the process. That means meditating, stretching, foam rolling, strength training, eating right and RESTING!

How ever I end up doing it on race day, I am excited for this adventure and know I will be learning a lot about myself through it all.

Send me a tweet @KellieHiking on how you train or strategize for race day.