This week's message from Coach George

OK ladies, it's official - it's us for the San Diego Rock 'N Roll marathon, and we are at T minus 30 days and counting!

As you know from the schedule, this is a step back week, backing down to 14 miles, in prep for our 20 miler next week! And after that, we TAPER! You will come to cherish that word, by the way.

So, it is important from now on out that you try out exactly what you plan to use in the RNR on June 1. Shoes, socks, shorts, shirts, hats and other paraphernalia if used. You want to break in everything, be sure all of it fits well, and none of it rubs you the wrong way. Nothing worse than a raw spot developing midway thru the race and having to bear with it for the remainder.

Same with the use of vaseline or bodyglide on your toes or other body parts. You want NO CHAFING! So experiment with these for all of the upcoming runs, even your shorter mid week runs. You don't want to do anything new on race day that you have not experimented with previously.

And, same for beverages and gels. I will bring Accelerade (the brand provided at RNR) tomorrow and the remaining weeks, so if you plan to drink it during the race, which I recommend, need to get used to it now. And remember, the temps in San Diego are projected to be in the mid sixties, so hydration will be even more important than when we have run in cooler temps.

Same with pre race nutrition. Heavy on the carbohydrates, especially of the pasta variety for the days leading up to the race. And something like a bagel before the run works well for me. Don't get out there hungry due to concerns about food not agreeing with you - you need the nutrition and need to see what works well in the hours before the race.

See you at 7 am tomorrow. Shelby Farms lower level parking lot. Angie has mapped out the course.