My work schedule at Great Glen is limited these early May days; paddling season starts this weekend, Memorial Day, and the Outfitter Store is operating Thursdays-Sundays until after this weekend. So that leaves me with more free time than usual. It's a slower time for me and provides time for rest and rejuvenation; recovering from a winter of high energy output, about to begin a summer of high energy output (leading paddling and mountain bike trips.) In a few weeks, I'll be hoping I have the energy and time for a run in our Thursday Trail Running Series, after what will hopefully have been a full day of guiding on a flat water paddling trip. Right now I have the luxury of planning, thinking, anticipating my trail race at Great Glen on Thursdays.

It starts in the morning. I pick out all the clothing I think I might want to run in this evening. This time of year, it's hard to know what the temperature will be at 5:30 pm when I am packing my running kit first thing in the morning. So I usually put in tights, long sleeve shirt, vest, even rain gear, along with shorts and sleeveless shirt. Picking out my athletic wear for a competition has always been a part of my race day ritual. It's part of how I prepare.

I'm working at our retail desk until 5:30 p.m. I feel like I need some calories sometime mid-afternoon to sustain the energy to run well at that time. So about 3 p.m. I take a little personal inventory on my hunger level, and snack on a few fig bars, which seem to digest well for me when exercising. I also keep sipping from my water bottle through the afternoon, to keep hydrated.

Nate cuts me loose at 5:30, and I change into running gear. I dress more warmly for my warm-up than what I'm going to race in. Somewhere I read a study of how much further frogs could jump when their jumping muscles were warm, as opposed to cold. Even though I'm no jumping frog, the theory makes sense to me. I try to get in about 20 minutes of running prior to racing this year's course of 5.8 kilometers.

After my warm-up I hit the bathroom one last time, take a little drink of water, and strip down to racing attire. I'm methodical about all this; again it's a ritual that puts me in my racing mindset. Can you tell I'm serious about my racing? It's that I want to do my very best in this effort.

I check in with Eli. I am glad I'm the only participant on the start line at the moment; I prefer starting by myself. This way I can focus on my effort and pacing, and not get caught up in racing someone else. It's hard enough to pace oneself well, without being influenced by competitiveness with others. The only exception to this is if Howie is running at the same time. I can line up with him, and I like to, and not blow my own focus on pacing and running my own race. (I'm not sure if he feels the same way.)

It's difficult not to start too fast. People are watching, I want to look strong and fast, (heck, I want to BE strong and fast!) Lots of energy, and it's slightly downhill to the tunnel. But, every year I relearn during the first week of the Series that if I start too fast, my pace will drop off by the third mile. Better for me to run more even mile splits, and have good strength and stamina when I reach the course's midpoint.

(Enough blogging for now. Check back in the next several days. I'll continue with Part 2, mind games through the race course, getting to the finish line.)
Thanks for reading!

Sue Wemyss

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