The Race Is On!

I’m not going to thank Congress for making a deal to avoid a federal government shutdown this weekend–that is their job, after all. But, I am glad that they decided that the political fallout from a shutdown would be too great a price to pay for continuing their political showmanship.

After spending yesterday mentally preparing myself for the race being postponed, I need to get my head back in the game today. 

• I got my race packet last night, so I have my number and chip.
• My Garmin and iPod are charged and will spend the night on their chargers!
• The weather should be in the 50s-60s, so  I will wear shorts and a short-sleeved tech-shirt. I probably won’t wear the race shirt, though. We learned at the Army Ten Miler that wearing the same shirt as most of several thousand other runners makes it hard for my husband to spot me at the finish line!
• I have some red Gatorade to put in my water bottle.
• I will have coffee and oatmeal for breakfast at home and bring a granola bar in case I feel hungry at the start.
• My husband is going to drive my friend and me to the starting area. The GW Parkway Classic is a point-to-point race, and most runners park at the finish area and take a bus to the start, but we live close enough that it’s not too inconvenient for him to be our sherpa.

Today I have a few errands to run, but otherwise will take it easy.  My left calf is a bit sore, so I am wearing my Zensah compression sleeves under my pants, at least for a few hours this morning. I still need to decide if I will wear those tomorrow, but I probably will since my calves have seized up for the last few miles of this race before. I plan to eat well today, but not really “carbo load.” I’ve had enough “discretionary” calories this week already. 😉  I will go to bed early tonight, and to make that effective, I will have to refrain from any afternoon coffee today.

I am forgetting any race preparations?

Are you racing this weekend? If so, good luck!