Garmin Half Marathon

Hold 6:10 to 6:20/km for the first 8km, which will feel too easy, and that's the point. The single significant climb is the Harbour Bridge at roughly km 13 to 14, and 217m of total gain across the course means almost all of the work is there, so give yourself permission to lose 25 to 30 seconds on that kilometre and take it back on the descent. On the cutoffs: Smales Farm closes at 8:55am and Onewa Rd at 9:40am, and at this pace you'll be through Akoranga (km 12) around 8:03am, so you have a wide margin as long as you don't stop for long. The overall 4 hour limit means the finish closes at 10:50am, well outside what you'll need.

1. Mon
   Rest

   Full rest day. Walk if you feel restless.

   Start front-loading your fluids from here.
2. Tue
   Easy run

   6km easy at 6:15 to 6:30/km. Flat route, no hills.

   This is your longest run of the week, well under your recent 10 to 15km long runs.
3. Wed
   Rest

   Rest or a 20 minute easy walk.
4. Thu
   Sharpener

   5km easy at 6:15/km with 4 x 60 seconds at 6:05/km (goal pace) in the middle.

   Wear your race shoes and race kit to check nothing rubs.
5. Fri
   Rest

   Rest. Lay out your kit, pin your bib, pack your bag-drop bag.
6. Sat
   Shakeout

   3km very easy at 6:30/km, plus 3 x 20 second strides.

   Confirm your transport plan to Devonport today, then eat your carb-load meals and get to bed early.
7. Sun
   RACE DAY

   Garmin Half Marathon, 21.1km, 6:50am start from King Edward Parade, Devonport.

1. 04:15Alarm. Kit is already laid out, bib already pinned.
2. 04:30Breakfast: toast with peanut butter and honey, a banana, a coffee. Sip a PUREsport Hydration sachet in 500ml water from here.
3. 05:00Bathroom, anti-chafe balm, dress, gels into your belt. Pull the throwaway jumper on over the top.
4. 05:15Leave home for Devonport. Check the organiser's ferry or shuttle timetable in advance, as transport to the start is arranged separately and fills up.
5. 05:50Arrive at the start precinct. Toilet queue first, before it gets long.
6. 06:15Bag drop. Keep the throwaway layer on until the last minute, the waterfront is breezy at that hour.
7. 06:30Easy 5 minute jog, a few leg swings, 3 short strides. Nothing hard.
8. 06:40Into the corral. Banana or half a bar now if you didn't have it earlier, plus a few sips of water.
9. 06:50Start. Remember the first checkpoint pressure is a long way off: Smales Farm doesn't close until 8:55am, over two hours away, so there is no reason to rush the opening kilometres.

• Road shoes you've already run 15km-plus inEssential

  Where to buy: Shoe Science or Running Connection
• Singlet or short-sleeve tee and shorts you've trained inEssential
• Throwaway old jumper or a cheap emergency poncho for the start lineEssential
• Race bib belt or safety pinsEssential

  Where to buy: Running Connection
• Anti-chafe balm (Body Glide or similar)Essential

  Where to buy: Torpedo7
• Gel pocket, flip belt or shorts with a secure pocket for 3 gelsEssential

  Where to buy: Torpedo7
• Cap and sunglasses for the exposed waterfront section after the bridge
• Warm layer and jandals in your bag-drop bag for the finish at Victoria Park

• 14 to 21°C means it will be cool at the 6:50am Devonport start and noticeably warmer by the time you hit the exposed waterfront after the bridge. Dress for the middle of the race, not the start line, and use a throwaway layer.
• The 217m of gain is concentrated in the Harbour Bridge crossing around km 13 to 14. You train hills occasionally, so add one hill session in the fortnight before race week: 4 x 90 seconds uphill at an effort you could hold for 5 minutes.
• There's 150m of loss too, mostly coming off the bridge into the city. Quads take a beating on long descents, so practise running downhill relaxed rather than braking, and expect that section to feel fast without extra effort.
• Coastal breeze is common on the bridge and along the waterfront. If it's into your face, tuck in behind a group rather than fighting it alone, and accept 10 to 15 seconds a kilometre.
• Terrain is rated 1, all sealed road and fully marked, so ordinary road shoes are right and you don't need to think about footing or navigation.

• Break the race into the five aid stations: km 4, km 9, km 12, km 17, km 20. You're never running a half marathon, you're just running to the next table.
• Halfway comes just before the bridge, so make km 10 a deliberate check-in: are you breathing easily, could you hold a conversation? If yes, you're on plan. If no, ease off 10 seconds a kilometre and you'll still be well inside every cutoff.
• Bank the cutoff numbers so they stop being a worry: Smales Farm 8:55am, Onewa Rd 9:40am, bridge cleared by 10:10am, finish by 10:50am. At 6:05/km you clear each one by close to an hour.
• The hard patch will most likely arrive between km 17 and 19, after the descent, when the legs are heavy and the finish isn't visible yet. Plan a response now: shorten your stride, count 100 steps, take water at Beaumont St. Then it's a parkrun to Victoria Park.

• !Getting swept along by marathoners in the first 2km. You start alongside them at King Edward Parade and many are on a very different plan. Run your own 6:20 first kilometre.
• !Attacking the Harbour Bridge climb at km 13. It's the only real hill on the course and pushing over it costs far more than the 25 seconds you'd save. Effort even, pace slower.
• !Skipping the early aid stations because you feel fine. You only fuel occasionally in training, so take the km 6 gel and the km 12 gel on schedule, not on feel. Missing them is the most likely cause of a rough final 5km.
• !Underestimating the logistics of a point-to-point start. Transport to Devonport needs to be sorted well before race week, and being stressed in a ferry queue at 6:20am is a poor way to begin.
• !Standing around in the cold for 40 minutes in race kit only. A $5 op shop jumper you can bin at the start line is worth more than any piece of gear you'll buy.