Race Week

Last week I worked 58 hours in five days. I know that for some people, that is normal life. But those people likely make twice (or five times) as much as I do and probably have tougher skin. I value my evenings of running, eating dinner with Josh, blogging, reading, and/or watching hulu. I had absolutely none of those last week. But it was good to keep busy and it all led up to a wonderful event, during which I ate delicious food and wore high heels. No gu packets or spandex outfits allowed at this party.

Now that it's all over, though, I am reveling in my free hours and finally have time to acknowledge the fact that my third ever half marathon is less than a week away. Having slept, eaten, and exercised poorly last week (not an ideal lifestyle for two weeks out from a big race), I am trying really hard to get it right during these seven days. Josh and I planned out every meal for the week and I am eating as many whole foods as possible. From here on out, I am cutting out caffeine and alcohol. I am going to run light but consistently, with a few gym visits, this week.

I'm going to get eight hours of sleep every night. And, most importantly, I'm not going to forget that my number one goal is to have fun. I have had a bad attitude about this race over the past couple of weeks. My training was sidelined from a long cold and I became frustrated with the realization that I just didn't care that much about this race. My focus was on the bigger bike ride looming a few months after and, knowing that was my number one priority, this race started to feel like a hassle. But that is silly.

I was in a weird place, having wanted to race this and get a kick-ass time, and then realizing that this actually wasn't my number one focus for the spring. But I've come to the realization that I have my whole life to run and I don't need to finish this in 1:50 or 1:48 or even 1:52. Those would all be ideal finish times and I do still think, on a good day, that I'm capable of accomplishing them. But my training has not bean ideal over the past six weeks so I know that I may run more slowly and I am ok with that. My final goal for Saturday, I've decided, is just to PR (beat 1:58:43) and my ultimate goal is to not get hurt and sideline myself before this summer. 

Here's to a week of positive thinking with more healthy eating, more smart training, and more blogging than the last! I've missed you all dearly!