Jitters

I am getting nervous about the Asheville half marathon. I am supposed to work until 5 the day before, the drive down is 3.5 hours, and packet pickup only goes til 7. My parents (Asheville residents) are going to be in Scotland so I gotta drive myself to the race the morning of and somehow park. On top of that, my last few runs have been really slow and my knee/IT band has been hurting. Tomorrow I'm running 12 miles with Fleet Feet (and my fuel belt... mmm...). I hope it goes well, or else these jitters are gonna feel even worse.
The San Diego race was perfect. We loved the trip and were pretty happy with the race itself. Now I'm alone and the whole thing feels a little scarier. Even though I'm not planning on "racing," I do hear a voice inside my head demanding I get a[n even slightly] better time but I know the course is harder (hillier). I'm trying to generate some positive vibes for myself in the next couple of weeks.

The Fuel Belt is Incredible

Oh my gosh. The fuel belt is literally the most best running purchase I've ever made, inclusive of the Mizunos I was fitted for, bought, and have loved since March.

I went on that dank run on Saturday and didn't have to stop to walk once. I was super relaxed, never stressed, and didn't have to think about how close I was to water. The belt didn't jostle, wasn't annoying or too tight, and held my phone, keys, and a gel without any problem (didn't even plan to use the gel, just wanted to see what it would be like). I was so in love with being hydrated that I kept a good pace and was just beaming. This middle-aged woman jogging with her tiny ugly dog passed me on Seawell School Road and was like "you look so beautiful! you are glowing!" in the most genuine way. BANGIN.

So yeah, I'm running with that dorky, dorky belt whenever I do distance in the future. For sure. For SURE.

Fuel Belt

I bought this thing today. I don't know whether or not I'll like it and if I don't 10 miles tomorrow is a lot to not like it (I hate it when the hairtie around my wrist is too loose or too tight when I'm running-- I'm gonna HATE it if this thing is clunky or ill-fitting). But it has been SWELTERING and I know I need it. Ran ~4.5 in Chapel Hill North on Wednesday and damn near died from heat heat heat.
Trying to stay positive, but hellfire, I am looking forward to <85 degrees.