Coupled with the excitement, I'm also a bit nervous for the race because it's the first "tune-up" race I've ever run and it's only a few short weeks out from my marathon. I'll actually be running my longest training run the week before, 20 miles, so this will be the first week of my taper. We'll see how training is going closer to the race, but for now, I'm planning on treating the race as I would any training run, slow and easy. I think that goal may be tough when the race-day adrenaline starts pumping but I'll do my best!

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My race calendar for 2018 is still more empty than I'd like but I'm excited to finally be registered for a 2nd race. Raleigh should be a great opportunity to stretch my legs and gauge where I'm at fitness-wise to start planning my races for the fall. As of now I'm torn between a few options, training for a new half marathon PR being one of my top prospects. My tune-up performance at Rock 'n' Roll Raleigh should give me an idea of how far I've come since Vegas in the fall.