Almost Half Of Half Of a Half

The verdict is in, and it is clear to me I need to dial it back a bit.

No, not that kind of dialing. But, I still had to share -- this was
at a garage sale this morning. I mean, who wouldn't want to buy
a pay phone in the first place, much less at a garage sale?

As you know, I've had my eye on another Half Marathon the end of May. You also know I wasn't sure this was necessarily doable. But, I had to try.

And, try I have. The first long run after a well-deserved Rest Week was 10 miles which, as it turned out, was too long for me right out of the gate. Since last Saturday, while I've continued with my running schedule, I have noticed that I'm just fatigued. My mind is willing, but my body keeps telling me, "Chill, baby-baby, chill, baby-baby ..."

I've gotten all kinds of signs about this upcoming distance that all point in the direction of No -- from the black race shirt (yes, still on that but would have let it go if all other factors were supportive of the run) to the sudden pump up in temperature without adequate time to really prepare for that to hating stretches of the course (I know these streets well, and some of them are unnecessarily mean) to, finally, fatigue. Fatigue is the big one, and I need to listen.

This decision comes easily in that it all makes sense. It's definitely the best one for me. But, it's still a bit of a bummer  because the idea of doing another right now sounded really fun! The three-year-old inside of me is not pleased one bit about the change of plans. However, just like I tell the young Pit Crewers to consider when they're thinking through their life choices, "Just because you can doesn't mean you should."

And, therein lies the victory for myself I cannot ignore. The fact that I can. I could cover that distance in a couple of weeks if I wanted. There is no question. But, I have defined for myself what I genuinely want out of a run, and at the 13.1 distance, I want a lot. Sure, I want the challenge, but, I also want the fun! Struggling through that distance is not fun ... paying good money to struggle through it might just do me in! You'd hear it at the walkie-talkies at every aide station: "Runner down at mile 8. Runner down. She's not hurt, she's just mad." Eh, no one wants that.

The other victory for me is that this will be a 2 Half Marathon year (yeah!!): The Rock'n'Roll Half Marathon is on my calendar for October!! I'm already super-pumped about it! I remember the first time I saw the ad for the Rock'n'Roll series in my Runner's World  magazine, and I just stopped and gazed. It looked awesome, and I hoped to one day participate. My opportunity to do so is five months away, so everything I do between now and then is in support of that end. Battering myself along a course I'm not crazy about while I'm worn out? That's just not supportive of the goal!

Two Half Marathons in one year? That's huge for me! I'll take it!

So, in the meantime, I am going to enter the 5K instead of the Half at the end of May and have a little fun! The t-shirt is still black, but it's going to cost half as much! Ha! There are plenty of opportunities in front of me. I need to be smart about them so they're all fun.

This too-much-too-soon scenario is not new to me. Interestingly, the common denominator is 10 miles. Remember? Sheesh, you'd think I'd learn!

My current just-running schedule has been adjusted ... we'll get into that later ... and I'm on my way with a new goal! See you after the morning run!