(Photo Illustration - Pace Negotiations by Art Smith)

The News and Sentinel Half Marathon is a few days away, and it is a good time to get your race day outfit in order.

It is very important that you choose comfort over fashion and in a lot of instances old over new. We will start at ground level and work our way up.

Pay a lot of attention to your feet. They will take a pounding on Saturday, and you need to pay them a lot of attention the rest of the week.

Look at your feet right now and see how the bottoms look. If they are dried and cracked, start moisturizing them today. You want them to look more like the palm of your hand and less like the back of an alligator.

Think about what socks you are going to wear on Saturday. I once learned the hard way how important it is to wear really good socks when running. They should really hug your feet and wick away any moisture. Your feet need to not slide in them at all. Friction is your enemy when running or walking, so you want to prevent that at all costs. You will be taking, depending on your stride, up to 30,000 steps Saturday, so any movement between your skin and your sock will cause you discomfort.

Covering your socks, of course, will be your shoes. Race day is not a good day to break in a new pair of shoes. Wear the pair that has been your trusted friend during training.

Race morning is typically on the cool side. It is better though to be a little cold the first mile than trying to deal with too much clothing during the last 12. Leave the long pants and jacket in your car, you will not need them.

Be careful of picking clothing that will retain moisture. We have water stops every mile because people lose water as they run, normally through the pores of their skin. Wear clothing, including undergarments, that will move the moisture away from your skin. Not to get too personal, but cotton is not your friend with ANY clothing during a hot, humid race day.

Wear sweat resistant sunscreen on body parts that will be exposed. Applying SPF 30 at 7 a.m. may not seem natural, but you will thank me when you are on Camden Avenue.

Be careful when picking clothing that things will not rub together and cause you issues. Picking the right shorts can help prevent your legs from rubbing together and chafing.

Your shirt is important as well. With many people, their shirt bounces a little with every step. Women tend to wear sports bras under their running shirts, but men frequently have problems caused by a damp shirt sliding back and forth over their bare skin 30,000 times. You don’t want to cross the finish line with a bloody shirt.

On your head, a good pair of running sunglass are not a bad idea. You will be running directly into the sun for around two miles. Only you can decide if you want to have them bouncing on your nose for several hours though.

Some people chose to top everything off with a running hat. A running hat is normally made from very thin material and can help keep the sun out of your eyes and help manage a big head of hair. You do you.

Art Smith is co-race director of the News and Sentinel Half Marathon and online manager for The News and Sentinel and The Marietta Times.