and I'll say it again and again and again. It seems as though people running their first race regardless of distance will follow instructions to the letter while those with 'experience' seem hell-bent on learning the hard way. It's like many drivers in Alabama, "Oh, the rules don't apply to me." Well, yeah, they do. Granted, every person is an experiment of 1, and there are exceptions to every rule, blah, blah, blah. I used to know a guy who never wore deodorant; for whatever reason his body didn't create body odor. I also know from experience that he was the exception! I strongly encourage the use of deodorant...strongly. Experiment with that one and see how many friends you have. So a few reminders from the Book of Dan: 1) Nothing new on race day. that includes the 24 hours prior. If you haven't eaten, worn it, or done it in training, what in the thump makes you think it's a good idea now? That new jog bra may be cute and comfortable, but mile 4 of  13.1 (or 26.2) is a bad time to find it chafes under your arm! Mile 3 or before the gun goes off is a bad time to discover that a Mexican Pizza and beer is not a good pre-race meal. It won't be just the gun going off! Conversely if you normally have a glass of wine before a training run, or coffee the morning before you run, that's fine. Not a jug, a glass. 2) I say Start Slow, but some take issue with that, so how about Start Conservatively. 99/100 times your first mile will be your fastest anyway just because of excitement, just don't continue that trend. If your body is set on a long run time table of (for ex) 9 minutes a mile then a first 2 or 3 miles of an 8 minute pace is going to throw it haywire. If your goal is <2:00 or <4:00 then running a smartly paced race, saving fuel is the way to go. Last time I looked 1:59:59 was <2:00. If you're gonna 'fade' running your goal pace then you'll dang sure fade running faster than your goal pace and probably worse. Walking 16 minute miles is a tough way to finish. 3) Plan your race and race your plan. If your plan is to have no plan; just have fun then that's a plan. If it's to run the last 6 faster than the first 7 or jog 20 race 6.2, that's a plan. Stick to it! I like to have 3 goals: 1) Goal time 2) secondary goal time 3) get the doggone medal. That way every race is a 'success'. Maybe not the success I hoped for, but a success nonetheless. Regardless of your experience or how cool you think you are, running13.1 miles or 26.2 miles is an accomplishment..never belittle it, less experienced/talented runners will think you are a jerk and karma is a bad mother with a long memory. 4) Thank volunteers. Without them there is no race. There is never, ever a reason for a participant to be rude to a volunteer..ever. 5) If you haven't been 'carbo-loading' during training, don't start now. I have a theory. I hear all the time people saying they didn't sleep well the night before a race...nerves. I wonder if they ate a big bowl of pasta and a few hours after they dozed off they got a 'sugar' rush, thus interrupting their sleep plane? I think this falls under 'Nothing new'....Lastly, enjoy the day. While we don't always run by hospitals that might make us think and there are lots of charity runners that sometimes remind us of our good fortune. How many people in the hospital (or elsewhere) would swap places with you *snapping finger* that quick? You are blessed to be out there whether you run a 7:00 pace or a 14:00 minute pace. I hate hearing people say, "I had a bad race." You think a Marine in Afghanistan or a cancer victim would say that? Hell no ! They want to live and you ARE 'living' (as in enjoying life) through your running. Enjoy the day even if you don't run the 'time' you wanted. You still got a 'time' and for some, it would be the 'time' of their lives.