I rode with the panniers for the first time and they seemed just fine -- hardly knew they were there except for some new rattles/squeaks and Rudy's bell in one of the pannier pockets. He used the bell when touring to alert himself at campgrounds of people messing with his bike/bags at night. I'll use it in bear country.
My trip is about 3 weeks away and I believe I'm physically ready. I think my training has probably been sufficient. I'll watch some more bike repair videos, get my bike tuned, buy a few more supplies and then off I go!