First Saturday PR Training run complete!

Last night I was as restless as if I had a race this morning.  I chalk it up to performance anxiety, mentally I think it felt the same as a race to my brain.  Which seems so silly in retrospect.  Part of my training will include getting this mental pressure under control.

So I awoke at 6:30 to the sound of Rhett (my cat) chewing on the race holder cords from my fuel belt.  I always thought it was the race number that attracted the cats, now I know it is simply the cords.  Mental note to put the fuel belt inside my bag the night before rather than laying it out on the dresser.  My alarm had been set for 7:00 and I would have appreciated that extra 30 minutes of sleep!

It was in the upper 20s and with a 5 mph wind.  I went with running tights over compression socks, and my nike element jacket over a long-sleeved fila shirt and cory vines racerback tank.  Plus warm gloves and a hat.  That felt good for the first mile, when I tucked my gloves and soon after my hat into my jacket.  After two miles I tied my jacket around my waist and put the hat back on my head.  I was comfortable for the whole run, and carrying the clothes I shed wasn't a problem.  So good preparation there, and it will help me plan what to wear for the Fairfax 4-miler on New Year's Eve which will likely be similar temparature-wise (but dark!).

For nutrition I went with the standard clif bar when I got up, along with coffee w/ chocolate almond milk.  I don't mess with that combo, I know it works well for me.  I had a gu in my pocket in case I went longer than planned, but stuck with 4 miles and the BBB folks so it wasn't necessary.  I did have a protein luna bar and some nuun after finishing up.  That seems to work well, too.

Amy is a tad too fast for me still, so I settled in a bit behind her and ran with Shawn.  Picked up lots of good tips about the school system and the IB vs. AP programs, which helped keep my brain engaged.  We went out the hilly side of the W&OD trail, the same hills that got my achilles in September.  It feels slightly tender this evening, but I think I stayed conservative and didn't overdo it.  I iced it when I got home and did some foam rolling and stretching.

I found out the Cherry Blossom 10-miler has its own training program and it is on Sundays rather than Saturdays.  This is so much better for our schedule (I will save a bundle on babysitting and Rick & Freddy will get to bond over weebotics class), so I'm relieved.  I will miss running with the friends I have in the DTP program, but it makes the most sense to switch to Sundays and train with the folks who are running the same race I am.  So that will start January 26, and in the meantime I will continue in the cobbled BBB/DTP program for another month.

I'm looking forward to some solid sleep tonight and feel good to have the first Sautrday training run behind me.  I wasn't sure what to expect or if I were up to the task.  It's good to know that I am ready for it and able to do it.  And I will be better prepared next time, now that I know what is coming!