Pre Half Marathon Tips

With only a few days before my 1/2 marathon I thought it would be helpful to write out what I do the week leading up to the race and include some nuggets of information that may be helpful for you.  This race is a 'C' race for me, meaning I will not taper or alter my training schedule too much for this race.  Simply put, it's another training day, except at a higher intensity and with a lot of people.  My goals for this race is to fine tune my pre race meal, breakfast, and nutrition during race and to get some good data from the race regarding my fitness.  I also hope to negative split the 2nd half to the 1st half.  Here is what I've done this week leading up to the race:

Sunday - 11 mile run - easy
Monday - recovery day
Tuesday - weights
Wednesday - 5 mile run(z2) and 2 hour trainer ride(z2)
Thursday - weights and long swim(z2)
Friday - swim and 2 mile run with some pick ups throughout the run to loosen up the legs

I will stay away with high fiber, high fat, and spicy foods on Friday and keep my diet pretty bland, but healthy, throughout the day.  Saturday morning I will have peanut butter on bread, a banana, and sip on water throughout the morning.  Not sexy, but it works for me.  During the race I will have a GU chased by a water after the 1 hour mark.  Some other tips:

1)  Eat 2 hours before the race
2)  Don't stray from what you've been doing in training or try anything new
3)  It is better to start off easy and make up time at the end of the race then start off hard and suffer through the rest of the race.
4)  Know your pace as indicated by your training.  Magical speed won't show up on race day.
5) Thank the volunteers, they are out there to help make the race enjoyable for you.
6) Show up to the race site at least 30-45 minutes early to give yourself time to get situated.
7) Mentally break the race down into sections - don't think of it as 13 miles, break it down by 1 mile at a time or 1 block at a time.  This make it much more manageable.
8)  Toward the end of the race pick out someone ahead of you and try and pass them, then pick out someone else and pass them.
9) Have fun!  Think of the race as a celebration of all your training and hard work.
10) Leave it all out on the course.