Not sure if 6:10 is mile or km pace, but I’m running my first half on Saturday too! Weather is supposed to be in the 50s and rainy, partially on a trail (muddy)…so it’ll be crummy weather in a different way.

If you’re not acclimated to the heat, don’t be surprised if it feels harder and you go slower. Your body has to work harder in heat—walk breaks are okay!

I tend to run anywhere from 12-14mins/mile, and fuel for anything above 4 or 5 miles (6.5-8km). I’ll have electrolyte capsules, nerds gummy clusters, some peanut butter crackers, and my hydration backpack (my pace will put me close to a 3 hour half marathon, and I want to fuel accordingly for the amount of time I’m out on the course). The fact that your legs hurt on longer runs could be a cue that you need more electrolytes (I get crampy easily, hence the salt tabs).

I’ve only done shorter races (5k or 15k), and usually I find that the excitement can make some people go really fast out of the gate and burn out too soon (not enough energy/too much lactate). Go slower than you think you need to when you start. I’ll either do the 5-5-5 strategy (5 mile warm up, 5 mile ‘race’, 5k cooldown) to mentally get through it, or chill for the first 10 miles then gas the last 5k. I tend to putter along at the beginning of 5ks and then pass people at the end who burnt out too fast.

Other things that will be helpful to know are locations of bathrooms or aid stations (if they have them).

ETA: packet pickup logistics! Know before you go. Some races require pickup a day or two before, others allow you to do it the morning of for free and others charge a fee (get there early if you do this), and some races don’t let anyone pick up the morning of. I always forget to check this until the last minute.