I've been anxious all week over tomorrow's Just a Short Run 5K, even waking in the middle of the night and not being able to fall asleep. Will it be raining? Will it be windy? Will I be able to run fast after the hill to make up for the hill slow-down? Will my stomach get upset? Will I make my time goal? Maybe it's because I haven't done a lot of races, but I get very anxious before every race and always want to skip them.
So it's a surprise that I'm so calm today. Here's what I'm telling myself: It's just a 5K. As bad as it might be, it will only last a half hour. And if it's as windy as today and is raining, and if I'm as slow as molasses and don't meet my goal, I'll still accomplish something--I'll be able to have a good gauge of my fitness level and can work on improving.
This week was more of a taper week than the schedule called for. We went out on Wednesday night to see some bands and got home late. (This is pretty crazy for me. I wouldn't sacrifice my sleep and workout routine for just anyone, but it was the reunion tour for Neutral Milk Hotel, and my long-time-fave Elf Power was opening for them.) Anyway, I didn't run Wednesday or Thursday.
I have the day off from work so started it with a short, 20-minute easy run. It was windy but warm and so nice to be out in the morning, which is my favorite time to run. Then I went to Elite Runners & Walkers to pick up my race packet. The giveaways were a pair of shorts and socks.
Afterwards, I went to the Market District to pick up Gatorade for tomorrow. After my crippling nausea experience in my first half marathon last September, which was preceded by a large pasta dinner the night before (I rarely eat pasta and never eat white pasta), I figured I'd just eat whatever for dinner tonight. I planned to have leftovers from what I made earlier in the week--curried chickpeas and greens. But somehow I ended up buying angel hair pasta (white!), pasta sauce (crazy! Pasta sauce is so easy to make that I think it's a crime to buy it), and Italian-breaded fake chicken cutlets (also crazy! I don't like eating processed or fake foods and prefer to make fake meats from scratch if I eat them). I think I'll have that meal tomorrow night after the race and stick to my chickpeas and kale tonight to minimize the chance of an upset stomach.
But I did get a treat! I love Angie's brand of popcorn, but my Giant Eagle doesn't carry it. I've only found it at Whole Foods and the Market District in Robinson, so I picked up two bags. I've had the Sweet & Spicy before and love it. I was delighted to see that Salted Caramel is vegan, so I snagged that too. I've already tried it, and it's delicious.
JASR 5K tomorrow morning. Ready or not, here I come!
Labels: JASR 5K, race
