Usually the day before the race, you rest up and receive your bib and gear for the race.

For me, it was no different. I went to Davis, receive my bib and my complementary T-Shirt for my half-marathon and I came back.

Usually, my rest day involves the typical sit around and relax; but I also do some light activity, i.e walking or a light bike ride.

This is to keep my muscles loose and help increase blood flow to my muscles, but not too hard to tear the muscle fibers within my muscles.

For today, I did a light 30-minute bike ride and some dips and pull-ups afterwards and a lot of stretching (which also helps to keep you loose on a rest day).

Nerves are setting in, but that’s typical for a big event like the half-marathon I’m running in; but I am confident in my training that I can succeed tomorrow night in Davis.

For the rest of the day and into tomorrow will feature a nice healthy meal tonight, an ice bath (this is to reduce any swelling and soreness while removing any waste products like Lactic acid from my muscles to help prevent fatigue tomorrow night), and a good night’s rest.

Tomorrow, I will be hydrating and resting up before heading over to the starting line tomorrow afternoon. Stay tuned for my post-race column in the Placer Herald and/or the Lincoln News Messenger. #winning

Jeremy McDonald received a B.S. in Journalism from Southern Oregon University in 2011 and currently is finishing up his B.S. in Health and Physical Education from Southern Oregon University. He is currently a Sports Correspondent for Gold Country Media.