1. Ignore the Taper Terrors. You are going to feel like you tore your ACL, broke your toe or have come down with the flu. It's just your body's way of telling you to back off and rest. That pain will magically disappear as soon as the race has started.

2. Don't do anything new. Be boring. Stick to the familiar whether it's the food you eat, stretches you do or the clothes you wear. Just because your friend George had a PR after he drank a banana smoothie halfway through the race, doesn't mean you should drink one too.  Never surprise your GI tract or it'll surprise you with an insider's view of many port-o-porties along the course.

3. Reduce your mileage and workouts significantly - but don't NOT workout. You want to rest your body, but not so much that it makes you sluggish. Envision yourself as a rubber band. In order to fly forward, you have to use some energy to pull it back. Then on race day, you can convert that stored potential energy into kinetic energy and soar!

4. Do this on Thursday.  There are three things you need to do TWO days before the race (in this case, Thursday):

1. Run. Go out for a 3-4 mile run. Start out easy, but run the last 1-2 miles at race pace and then go as hard as you comfortably can (without risking injury) the last 200m to empty your glycogen stores and prime them to maximize carb storage at your next meal.
2. Eat. Within an hour of your run, eat a carb-rich meal. Forget about eating pasta the night before a race, pasta two nights before is the key. On Friday night, choose a quick digesting meal with protein.
3. Sleep. Go to bed early so you get a solid 8+ hours of sleep. Like the carb-loading meal, your sleep is more important on Thursday night than Friday (even if you only manage a few hours of sleep on Friday, it won't affect your performance).

5. Start slow. It's so easy to get caught up in the energy and crank out a super quick mile or two - but you will most likely regret it later on. Resist the urge to be a rabbit. Start a little further back than you would in a 5k and aim to run 30 seconds to 1 minute slower than your planned pace.  You will easily make up this time later in the race. Trust me!

 6. Walk breaks are OK. In fact, they are recommended! Especially in the second half of your race, adding a 1minute walk break every 5-10 minutes can significantly delay the onset of the dreaded Wall. Time your walk breaks with a water stop so you double your advantage by re-fueling your body adequately.

7. Laugh at The Wall. Even elite runners hit The Wall. It's almost inevitable so make the best of it. Don't get upset, laugh. Chances are good that your pathetic attempt at laughter will make you laugh even more which will release all kinds of untapped endorphins that help make the pain go away. It's also an excellent time to refuel with some energy gels/chews and drink 6oz of water. If it's hot, pop a salt tablet or two. 

Above all, try to enjoy the experience. You have braved ridiculous heat and humidity this summer, made sacrifices and worked your butt off. This is your victory lap. Hold you head high, keep those hands loose and bask in the cheers of thousands who are in awe of your courage and dedication.