This has been a long week. I have been house-sitting for my mother-in-law and caring for one two three four five dogs for the past two weeks (Okay, two are mine, but still) – I am ready to go home! Things just aren’t the same when you aren’t in your own place. The end is in sight, however, I am so glad it is Friday.
Since I’ve had 397 cable channels this week (we don’t and in fact, we just acquired a TV this spring), I think I have turned into a major vegetable. Moving, pretty pictures on the flat screen and I just can’t say no. Embarrassingly enough, I think I may have zones out to the point of actual drooling last night – not good – I am actually looking forward to being cable-free again. I think TV really does rot your mind. It at least is not good for being motivated to exercise.
Naturally, with 396 other cables to choose from I decided to watch Animal Planet non-stop. It was great until I got hooked on a never-ending marathon of The Monsters Inside Me where I learned about every type of parasite under the sun – ones you get from sushi (that I ate last Sunday), pork (that I ate on Monday), cats (which my dad has), sand flies (which I am sure live in my mother-in-law’s backyard since there is a sandbox), freshwater crabs (which are in my freezer), and a zillion other things which I just know I will come into contact with soon. Not. Good. It sent me into a panic, but it was like a train wreck – I couldn’t stop watching!
I did get some running in – more than I have committed to in a while, but I can’t stop feeling like I would have been more productive if I wasn’t tuned it. That’s 4 whopping miles:
At least it’s something? Which brings me to my dilemma. I don’t know if I will be able to run the Air Force Half Marathon in Dayton on September 17.
It’s been a rough spring for me. It’s been hot and miserable and I have been busy – doing nothing? I initially registered for the Air Force Full then switched to the Half after my knee injury flared up again – primarily from overuse and lack of strength training.
I’ve been struggling to train at all since then. I am tired – physically, emotionally, mentally, anyway. I have good and bad days and someday are just a struggle for me.
With nearly non-existent weekly runs, I just don’t know if I will be prepared. I’ve been doing long runs on the weekends and managing okay, but I know that is not the right way to train. I’ve run some 5K’s, had good ones and bad ones and spent as little time in the gym as possible.
I have a Quarter Marathon coming up on September 4, which I want to run and am coaching the Lucky 13’s to run the Columbus Half Marathon on October 16. I also have numerous 5K races between now and then, which are fun and support causes I believe in. It was once a goal of mine to use 5K’s to improve my speed. In January 2012, I am running The Goofy – I am registered and our trip is booked! That is a huge goal of mine.
I am thinking about not running the Air Force Half and running the Columbus Half instead. Only problem is, I missed the official transfer deadline for Air Force by a few days. I don’t know what to do with my bib (it’s a sold out race) rather than just forfeit the registration fee and call it a lesson learned. [This is where I am asking you, Blogland, for your advice]. What do you think? I’m calling on the pros here!
On a lighter note? Check out my new Friday Favorites!
I made two recipes for the first time last night that I got from THIS blog. They were delicious and not too complicated one I figured out that baking powder and baking soda are not the same things. Thank God for Facebook friends and Google.
I made Grilled Cheesy Barbequed Chicken. It was SUPER easy and so good. The Cajun Seasoning added just enough kick to make both me and my husband smile:
And I made Hoecakes, which took a little time to practice pan-frying, but once I mastered it, they were like sweet, hearty, corn-filled pancakes that melted in your mouth. A nice counterbalance to the spice in the chicken:
| My sister Mollie & Me |
And, Julia (one of my fav Bloggers, by the way) introduced me to this amazing feature to use with my blog:
Yeah! Now I can respond directly to your comments or you can respond to one another! Thanks, Julia!
What is your advice regarding the Air Force Marathon? Any Friday Favorites I just can’t live without knowing about?
Until the next mile marker,
Follow
If I’d known you were gonna screen capture that, I would have said something way wittier. I’ve been meaning to switch to Disqus if it’s feasible.
screen captures are my favorite! i still have to figure out what happened to be picture.
Sara,
First thanks for the comment on my blog. 🙂 As for the Air Force half, I really think you woyld be pushing it to run that race. With limited week day runs, and still nursing an injury a bit, best to back off. No need to force yourself, enjoy the summer 5Ks, and coaching. Just chalk it up as a lesson learned that yo need a bit more recovery time between races. I know I do!
I want your hoecakes. 🙂 Haha, all that food looks so good! No parasites, right?
Have you talked to the Air Force people about dropping down to the 10k? I really, really want you to be there! What if you planned on walking most of the half?
It really kills me how much you look like my BFF Sarah.
I have no advice to give you… heck, I get my advice from You! 🙂 I know you will make the best decison after you consider the options.
But I wanted to say that those hoecakes look amazing.
I tried this comment software too, but swtiched back cause I kept losing the comments.?? Hope it works better for you.
I second Heather’s comment. I think if you’re questioning it and contemplating it, you should listen to yourself and not do it. You want to be at your best for the other races. But I do say go and join your friends. You’ve got such a great group.
P.S. I totally expected to see something about baking powder versus soda in the hoe cake mention! That was too funny!
YAYYYYYY!!!! you got disqus!!!! I LOVE IT! it sounds like you are being smart about your race choices…only you know your body best and if you aren’t in it emotionally or physically…is it more worth it to you to lose the money for a race that you know you will enjoy or to push through and be unsure whether you will truly enjoy it? Can you still give your bib to someone if you pick up the packet? I am excited for your half with the Lucky 13s and also the Goofy!!! sounds so fun!
Like you, the thought of wasting an entrance fee drives me batty….but so do physical therapy bills! If it were me, I’d hold off on the AF half and shoot for Cbus. It slows up your training schedule and gives your knees time to heal….and time for the PT to really start helping. Better to slow up now than miss your even bigger goal of the Goofy!
Thanks for the advice, Heather! It was nice to see you this morning -even though I was super-bummed!
You don’t know me from Adam, but I’ve been reading and feel like I need to jump in here. You are not the first runner that got bit by the marathon bug and started signing up for races. Unlike the rest that have gotten burnt out on the training, you had a significant life altering event take place in your life. Celebrate your marathon, celebrate your mom, but mourn your mom. It takes time for your body and your mind to heal. Some day, you will enjoy running again. Right now, rest. Do easy runs, walks, whatever your body wants to do. Don’t push yourself. You will heal and you will be back, stronger. As always, it’s just my opinion.
This is something I’d been trying to figure out how to say – and it was said so well here, that I want to simply agree with the sentiment. Love you Sara.
Love you Sara. I think sitting out the AF Half would be a wise decision with your limited training runs, your burn out and your knees. There are plenty of other races out there – and the Columbus Half is quite fun…and gives you more time. I’m always around if you want some company. 🙂
I agree, don’t risk injuring yourself. there’s always another race. The AF 1/2 is sold out so I’m sure you could find someone to take that entry off your hands. I’ll keep my ears open since I know several people running in it.