Super Heroes Half Marathon Ranking

I need to jot some notes here about the Avengers half marathon before it all escapes my memory. Has it already been two weeks since I last ran? Geez, life. Slow down a bit, would you?

So I ran it faster than I did the Star Wars Dark Side half in April, but I don't attribute it to any improvement in ability. I just had a better idea of what I was capable of this time around, and didn't hold anything back when the starting gun sounded. Also, I walked away from this race uninjured. Er... I didn't feel any more pain than usual lingering from April's stress fracture. Hurray for achieving the most underwhelming goal I've ever set for myself.

Here's my new ranking of half marathons I've raced, updated from last May:

6: Star Wars Dark Side Challenge: Orlando, FL

I expended a ton of physical and emotional energy in trying to assure this race would be my best ever, only to end up with my worst time. And an injury that still haunts me. This race made me realize that the Disney World races are just not as cool as the Disneyland races. Disney World is so big that in order to get you from the start to the finish in 13.1 miles, you get to spend very little race time in each of the parks - most of the course is on overpasses in between the parks. Disneyland is small enough that you get to spend significant race time in the parks, AND the city of Anaheim participates in a big way too (see #1 and #3 below).

And all of mile 11 at Disney World was uphill. Not cool, Disney.

When I last created these rankings, I predicted that the Avengers Half at Disneyland - no matter what happened - would be better than the Dark Side Half. And I was right.

5: Rock and Roll Half: Philadelphia, PA

My time of 2:02 was decent enough, but I was so freaking bored. This race had no loops or clover leafs, and city roads were closed off, which made it impossible for race supporters to cheer you on. It was great to see my husband at mile 3-ish, but I really could have used a familiar face around miles 10-12. There was also a killer hill at the end. Dislike.

3 (TIE): Wine and Dine Half: Orlando, FL AND Avengers Half: Anaheim, CA

So here's the deal... The Wine and Dine Half was awesome not so much for the race itself, but for the incredible after-party. The ability to take over Epcot until the wee hours of the morning (4am) made it all worthwhile, and got me thinking I might even be able to do a full marathon if it was at Disney. BUT since I did this race in 2013, Disney has made some changes. The Wine and Dine Half is no longer a night race. So if you had to choose one over the other in the future, I would say the Avengers Half is now going to be the better race.

The Avengers course was fun, especially for all of those super photogenic people that got to take their pictures with Spiderman, Hawkeye, and Thor. I actually don't own a single photo from the race, and can't even find a race GoPro video like I have in the past, so enjoy this photo I stole from the Disney Photopass site:

Disneyland is a much smaller resort than Disney World - so you get to run the first 6 miles through the parks, and then you are out in the streets of Anaheim. Mile 9 brought us into Angels Stadium, and we got to run across the baseball field as a DJ announced our names over the stadium speakers. And - because I had run the Dr. Strange 10k the day before AND ran a half marathon at Disney World in Orlando in the same calendar year - I walked away from this race with FOUR medals!!

The only reason this race doesn't earn a higher ranking from me is because it now holds my second worst race record ever.

2: Unite Half Marathon: Piscataway, NJ

This was my first half marathon - decently priced, close to home, and had a great course that clover-leafed around the starting line so I had lots of spectator support throughout the race (thanks to my father and stepmother). My family also were easily able to get to the finish line through some back roads. This race gets a bump too because it holds my best record.

1: Star Wars Half Marathon: Anaheim, CA

Shocking, right? Like I mentioned about the Super Heroes Half, races at Disneyland keep you in the parks for the first 6 miles, and then you are out running the streets of Anaheim. We didn't get to run through Angels Stadium for this race, but it didn't matter - the entertainment was even better once we left the park. High school marching bands and cheerleaders lined the streets, along with members of the 501st. I don't know if this has been the case every year, or maybe the one I did was extra special because it was the inaugural race. If you ran it in 2016, let me know if it was just as cool!

People show up in the best costumes at these Star Wars races. There were certainly some good costumes at the Super Heroes half (including a girl dressed as my hero, Quicksilver), I think the Star Wars races bring out a whole different breed of running nerds that set the bar pretty high.

So there you have it. Six half marathons in the books. Maybe that's enough for one lifetime.

Reboot

Two months ago, I retired.

But it turns out I have more to say. So let's just hit ctrl alt del on this and give it a restart, shall we?

8 days ago, I ran another half marathon during Super Heroes weekend at Disneyland.

No, I didn't run it in under 2 hours. I'd love to tell you exactly what happened, but I'm pretty sure Disney would never let me run another race again, so my lips are sealed.

I did add 4 more race medals to my collection, so that was cool.

Running is kind of supposed to be over for me now. Except... I'm addicted.

It's not enough for me to have a Coast to Coast challenge medal... I gotta have the special pink edition Coast to Coast medal for running both the Princess and Tinkerbell half marathons in the same calendar year.

While in CA, I also learned about the "Castle to Chateau" medal one can earn by running a half marathon at one of the U.S. Disney parks and a second half marathon at Disneyland Paris.

Must... have... all... the... medals.

Just not necessarily in 2017.

Anyway, I'm pretty sure nobody's listening anymore, but whaddya say... give me another chance?

When You're the Villain in Your Own Story

When I was seeing a therapist about my eating disorder, she tried to help me recognize "triggers" - events in my day that would inevitably lead to a binge. The problem was that binge eating was such a habitual occurrence for me, anything could really have been labeled as a trigger. Sad? Binge. Happy? Binge. Stressed? Binge.

Yes, emotional eating is a thing that some people like myself need to control. But I think looking for a specific trigger in order to avoid or negate it is flawed logic when everything can be a so-called trigger.

I can, however, recognize triggers that send my mood spiraling downward, resulting in outbursts of despondency much like I had yesterday. Long-time followers of the blog have probably recognized patterns of general contentment followed by majorly low lows. When I go back and read some of my own writing, I myself am like "Wow, this person sounds like she needs an intervention."

SO new goal... try to minimize my exposure to these triggers, but recognize them when they occur and don't jump to "end of the world" thinking.

Yes, I have a lot of work to do on myself. Didn't I just acknowledge that last week? Twenty-two years of treating my body like shit isn't going to be reversed overnight.

This same podcast that had me all bent out of shape yesterday reminded me that it could take some time through trial and error to figure out the right dosage of thyroid meds to get me running optimally. The only way I'll know for sure what's going on is to go back for some additional blood testing now that I've been on the meds for a while - something I knew I'd have to do again, but have been putting off because, well, I'm a wimp.

And we'll see where it goes. If no improvement, then I'll know I may need to try not exercising for a while, but that's not something I need to worry about right this instant. Quitting running isn't an option for me right now since I still have a half marathon coming up in November. If I'm still struggling after the Avengers Half, then we'll try changing it up.

I just have a lot more work to do than most in order to be able to go the distance..

Younger Self

Yesterday, I was participating in a phone meeting at work and someone was breathing on the line way too loudly, to the point where I was having trouble hearing the individual speaking. So I used my workplace instant messenger to ping a co-worker who was in the same meeting to find out if I was the only one irritated by the heavy breathing. She and I often exchange somewhat inappropriate messages during these meetings, so I thought nothing of typing in the following message:

"OMG, who is breathing like Darth Vader?"

All of a sudden, the breathing stopped. And then I knew... it must have been her! I was mortified that I had offended her, so I quickly typed out a follow up:

"Better now, but that was really distracting for a minute."

"I think it was me!" she wrote back. "I was walking around for a minute and not on mute."

I gave her a laughing emoji and wrote "OK, just don't do the force choke on me."

But she didn't write back. I don't think she got it.

I have to remember not everyone is hip to the Star Wars.

I also have to remember, doesn't matter how friendly I am with people at work... sometimes, it's just better to keep my mouth shut. Nobody ever got in trouble for being professional.

Anyway, on the Star Wars front, the 2017 Star Wars Dark Side Challenge registration opens next Tuesday. No, I will not be registering. But let me know in the comments if you are registering and I'll come cheer you on.

I'm still not really sure where running fits in my life anymore. I've taken a few treadmill runs over the last month because I still need to be able to run the Avengers Half in November.  But there's not a lot of motivation for me to get out there, especially after I read this article that informed me it becomes increasingly less likely I'm ever going to run a sub 2 half marathon with every year that passes.

Bummer. How timely I get to read that in the same month I'll be celebrating my... 21st... birthday.

But can I just drop it, walk away from a lifetime goal, and forget about ever running a sub 2 half? Maybe. At the end of the day, if given the choice between going for a run or taking a walk with my level 20 Flareon to take over some gyms, Pokémon Go always wins. Or Crossfit. Or rollerblading with my 60-year-old mother (yes, I am doing that tonight, and it was her idea, not mine).

Maybe I'll find inspiration in the Olympics over the next two weeks. Maybe I'll be inspired by my continuing success with Never Binge Again. Or maybe I'll just continue being content with not really being a runner right now.

Drive

I think I've lost my mojo.

I'm just not feeling any compulsion to do any of the classic "Nicole" stuff lately. I had a great time in Colorado since I last wrote, had some more adventures at Disney yesterday, but... meh.

I don't want to write.

I don't want to run.

And I don't feel guilty for not wanting to do either of these things. Weird.

I didn't early register for the runDisney Princess Half Marathon two weeks ago. That used to be a "bucket list" race. I love runDisney. And one of the perks of living in Florida now is that I can do these races without having to fly anywhere to do them (disregard my desire this year to earn a "Coast to Coast" challenge medal - attainable only by running a half marathon at Disney World and a half marathon at Disneyland in the same calendar year - and my subsequent registration for the Avengers Half Marathon in California in November).

Also, a perk of being a Disney annual passholder is the ability to register a week earlier than everybody else for runDisney races. I'm not known to pass up on perks.

But I let the early registration date pass.

Then I let the regular registration date pass.

So, no. I'm not going to be running the Princess Half Marathon.

And I'm feeling really apathetic about the runDisney race I am registered for right now.

I don't even feel the need to analyze why I'm feeling this way, as I've done so heavily in the past.

But let's do a little analysis anyway.  Maybe it will help my old self return.

1. Pokémon Go. I've gotta catch 'em all. There's no time for running when I've got to strategize Team Instinct's rise to glory.
2. Altitude sickness. I woke up every morning with a sore throat in Colorado and chalked it up to being well above sea level. But nah, I really was sick. Still fighting off the cold even now that I'm home.

Honestly, though, these two things aren't to blame. They certainly aren't helping, but I've been feeling pretty indifferent about what used to be a lifetime goal even before I left for my short vacation and before the game was even released in the App Store.

I know the real reason. And for the first time, I don't want to publicly share. Because maybe this is only a phase. Maybe it's not permanent. And maybe I'll be back to doing typical "Nicole" things tomorrow.

Don't misunderstand. I am very content with life right now. I'm ok with not caring.

It's just... while I know why I'm feeling a lack of interest about the race, I'm not sure I understand why I'm ok not caring about it.

Light em up up up

I'm on fire!

No, seriously. My muscles are burning. So sore.

I did keep my promise to myself and went to CrossFit Wednesday night. Didn't realize I was getting myself into a particularly grueling Workout of the Day (WOD) that I'd still be feeling three days later. Actually, I felt great on Thursday. For 24 hours after Wednesday's WOD, I had that "Ima conquer the world now" feeling.

But when I woke up Friday morning, it felt more like the world had conquered me. I tried rolling out of bed and couldn't move. It was so frustrating because - for the first time in weeks - I had the energy and drive to actually go for a run bright and early in the morning, I just physically couldn't do it.

Later in the day, I read this blog post that suggests there's nothing wrong with running when you've got the DOMS (delayed onset muscle soreness) as long as you take it easy. Fine by me, I need to do more slow runs anyway. I still gave myself a second day off from working out yesterday, and went out this morning for my overdue run.

It was already 90 degrees when I woke up at 7am, which confirms for me that most of my Avengers Half Marathon training is likely going to be done on a treadmill. I can't believe I'm actually missing those cold January days I complained so frequently about.

So I did about 4.5 miles on the treadmill at Globo Gym - wasn't a great run, but it was a run that was injury-free and that's all that matters. I'm well on my way to getting back into a consistent routine. If all goes as planned for the rest of the holiday weekend, I'll be joining my mom for spin class tomorrow and getting in another WOD at Crossfit on Monday.

DOMS, we've had a nice visit, but you've overstayed your welcome. Time to go.

Blogroll the 12th

The EMP treatments at my doctor last week definitely made a difference. I went for a 5 mile treadmill run on Saturday with no side effects! So now I just need to work on re-adjusting to waking up early again for exercise... and the pain of waking up early is far greater than the pain I ever felt in my foot.

Some things I've been reading this week:

Train Like an Athlete:

• 3 tips that can save you from running injuries. Now they tell me.
• The best half marathons to get a PR. Guess which one is on the list. No pressure.
• 7 holistic techniques for losing weight. I consistently do about 3 or 4 of these things, so maybe you need to do all 7 for it to actually work.
• Weight management for runners. Summary: I won't be able to get faster AND lose weight at the same time. Depressing.

Eat Like an Athlete: 

• This woman's Whole 30 story sounds familiar. I'd pick it up again but... wine.
• 5 things I wish people knew about binge eating disorder. 
• How to break free of emotional overeating. 
• Should you fast before working out? I usually do since I'm working out first thing in the morning, but it hasn't really done much for me.

Think Like an Athlete: 

• Getting healthy habits to stick (I downloaded the "Way of Life" app recommended in this article to track some new habits I want to form. It's an ok app - if you know of a better one, please let me know in the comments!)
• 4 steps to letting go of fear to realize your dreams. 
• Introvert doodles.
• Chronic stress leads to anxiety - interesting findings in recent research on mice.

Sleep Like an Athlete:

• If you could pick the right foods to get the best sleep, wouldn't you?
• 5 reasons you're tired all of the time and what to do about it.

Next steps... or lack thereof.

It's been exactly four weeks since the Dark Side Half, and the only thing I've done at this point to prepare for the Avengers Half Marathon is to watch the latest Captain America movie.

And the only thing that's really done is reinforced how much I love Ant-Man.

I do enjoy me some Marvel movies. Not as much as Star Wars, of course, but pretty dang close. I blame Disney.

The Marvel/Disney relationship is a strange one. X-Men comes out later this month, to which I wondered Disney's strategy for releasing two Marvel movies at practically the same time. After doing some research, I learned Disney doesn't actually own the X-Men.

Which makes sense to me now, because I knew there was no way that a family-oriented franchise like Disney could have been involved with Deadpool.

And I also knew that Disney doesn't own Spider-Man... yet Spider-Man makes an appearance in the new Captain America movie.

And, unlike the thirty other Spider-Man movies, I actually like this Spider-Man.

Ok, you see right through what I'm doing here. I'm rambling all things Marvel now in order to avoid the topic of my still injured foot and my inability to run. I did finally get off my ass to go to spin class with my mother this morning. It's been ages since I did that, and it didn't hurt my foot so much.

Given how long it's taking to heal, I'm going to assume I must have a stress fracture.

I finally picked a local doctor here in Florida, and have my first appointment tomorrow. I actually had made the appointment to speak with him about other things, but hopefully he can get to my foot too.

Saving my year

2016 was supposed to be my year. It doesn't seem to be working out that way. I look back on some of the things I wrote around Christmas last year and wish I could go back and have a realistic conversation with myself.

I know we're not even halfway through the year yet, but given the events of the last month, it's going to take something really epic to feel better about life right now. Maybe that would be finally running a sub 2 half marathon. But truthfully, I think even that's not going to be enough.

Either way, I've got to put the Dark Side behind me and start looking forward to Super Heroes Weekend in November. It's exactly six months from today.

Three concerns:

1. Travel: I anticipate needing to travel more frequently over the next six months, which interrupts the routine I've built for myself here in Florida.
2. Weather. Those who ran the inaugural Avengers race last year had a miserable time. Hoping weather patterns change for this year's race. This is a minor concern compared to:
3. Injury. Almost a month has passed since I ran the Dark Side half, and my foot still isn't healed. 

It's killing me to not be able to go out for a run. I know I should look beyond running to improve my fitness levels, but I just don't enjoy anything as much as running.

To be frank, everything I'm doing right now isn't giving me much enjoyment. My husband suggested we go to Disney this weekend, and ... for the first time ever... I said no.

I need a hero to rescue my year. I'll take Thor, please. Or even Captain America.

(Ok, really... I'd prefer Ant-Man. Always go with the guy who makes you laugh:) 

New Rankings

I have to change my half marathon rankings, last shared in October 2015. Now that I have a 5th one under my belt, where does the Star Wars Dark Side Half Marathon fit in?

Dead. Freakin. Last.

5: Star Wars Dark Side Challenge: Orlando, FL

I expended a ton of physical and emotional energy in trying to assure this race would be my best yet, only to end up with my worst time. And an injury that still has me sidelined 3 weeks later. I also realized that the Disney World races are just not as cool as the Disneyland races. Disney World is so big that in order to get you from the start to the finish in 13.1 miles, you get to spend very little race time in each of the parks - most of the course is on overpasses in between the parks. Disneyland is small enough that you get to spend significant race time in the parks, AND the city of Anaheim participates in a big way too (see #1 below).

And all of mile 11 was uphill. Not cool, Disney.

Like I said before, I hate the Dark Side. At least I know - no matter what happens at the Super Heroes Half at Disneyland in November - it will be better than the Dark Side Half.

And here are the rest, copied from the post I linked to above:

4: Rock and Roll Half: Philadelphia, PA
My time of 2:02 was decent enough, but I was so freaking bored. This race had no loops or clover leafs, and city roads were closed off, which made it impossible for race supporters to cheer you on. It was great to see my husband at mile 3-ish, but I really could have used a familiar face around miles 10-12. There was also a killer hill at the end. Dislike.

3: Wine and Dine Half: Orlando, FL
The Wine and Dine Half was awesome not so much for the race itself, but for the incredible after-party. The ability to take over Epcot until the wee hours of the morning (4am) made it all worthwhile, and got me thinking I might even be able to do a full marathon if it was at Disney. It's not that the run was awful, but there were a lot of boring stretches on overpasses. I didn't have my iPod with me, so the lack of music made this even more difficult. This race holds my second worst record.

2: Unite Half Marathon: Piscataway, NJ
This was my first half marathon - decently priced, close to home, and had a great course that clover-leafed around the starting line so I had lots of spectator support throughout the race (thanks to my father and stepmother). My family also were easily able to get to the finish line through some back roads. This race gets a bump too because it holds my best record.

1: Star Wars Half Marathon: Anaheim, CA
Shocking, right? The thing about races at Disneyland is that it's a much smaller resort than Disney World - so at the end of mile 6, you are out of the parks and into the streets of wonderful Anaheim, CA. Yet the entertainment gets even better once you are out of the park. Local bands and high schools line the streets along with members of the 501st. I also enjoy the fact that one week after the race, I randomly found a Star Wars Highlights Go Pro on You Tube - and found myself at min 2:24 (Yup, I'm the one in the long sleeves wearing my favorite headband):

Victories...almost.

The Dark Side Half Marathon isn't going to be a race I remember fondly. But there were two things I took a little bit of pride in that I have not achieved in other races.

• Negative splits... almost. In the four other half marathons I've run, I had to practically crawl across the finish line. During this half, I was able to run each mile at the same pace or faster until the very end. I believe I could have hit a pace in the 8 min/mile range for my last mile, except the course narrowed for a while onto a dirt path, creating a slower bottleneck that was tough to get around. Still, I was in shock at how good I felt after the race. Usually I'm left wondering how a half marathon is half of anything. Makes me think I should have tried to run a little bit faster during some of those earlier miles.
  
  
• Running the entire race...almost. In 4 of 5 half marathons I've done, I began losing steam after mile 9 or 10. I'd always finish out my race using some form of the run/walk method, even in my first and fastest half marathon. This time, I didn't need to walk at all... except through ONE water station. That doesn't really count, right? I just haven't mastered the ability to drink water and keep running yet. You can see exactly where that was below:

Good stuff, right?

So now I've just got to get faster for the Avengers Half. And I know I can do it because I just had six months of experimentation to figure it out. I know what I need to do. I'm not going to lose time messing around with faulty heart rate monitors this time like I did last time. I have to throw in more sprints and faster runs in my training. And I have to build some strength.

But shaving off two minutes per mile in the next six months still sounds a bit daunting. And kicking my training off with an injury doesn't bode well.

Undercover Boss

Today marked my first attempt at running since the Star Wars Half. It didn't go very well. Although there's no longer visible bruising on my right foot, there's still pain. It's been almost two weeks since I ran last, and really would have expected to be healed by now. So it will be a while before I'm going to attempt running again - I can't risk further injury, as I'm going to need all the time I can get to be ready for the Avengers Half in November.

I'm wondering if I might have been better served going back to work instead of going on a cruise right after the race, as at least I'm keeping weight off my feet when I'm working. Most people equate cruising with putting your feet up by the pool, but I get way too excited about all of the activities onboard Disney Cruise Line so I usually end up running all over the ship. Rest assured... there was plenty of hot tub time too... I just ended up being on my feet more than I usually am during a typical week.

So let's get to costumes from the race, since that was one of the highlights I mentioned yesterday. I have two favorites, but let me be clear - I respect anybody that can run these races in costume. It's hard enough to run 13.1 miles to begin with - but to run holding lightsabers and wearing face paint? No thank you.

Unfortunately, Disney banned full masks this year, so no full Chewbacca costumes were seen on the course. But I saw plenty of Ewoks, Jedi, and even one Darth Maul.

My two faves:

1. "Matt." I saw my first "Matt" while waiting in line for the bathroom before the 10k, but I didn't really scrutinize his costume all that closely. Just looked like a dude in a blonde wig and orange security vest. My husband started laughing and pointed the guy out to me, saying "I just figured out his costume." That's when I took a good look and recognized the Kylo Ren Undercover Boss SNL parody. So clever.



2. Barf. While I saw quite a few "Matts" over the course of the two days, I only saw one Barf during the half marathon. Bravo, friend.

Maybe after I hit a sub 2 half, I'll think about running a race in costume. But no fun allowed until I reach my goal.

Today's exercise: 4ish mile painful run

Do or Do Not.

There's a lot of "Life" being thrown at me right now. I'm struggling to decide what to tell the world about first.

This is the post I never thought I’d be writing when I started blogging in September. I don’t want to write it. But with each passing day, I’m forgetting details, so I guess I'll get it started and perhaps one day I’ll work up the courage to hit “publish” on this.

No surprises, but the Dark Side Half Marathon falls squarely in the “Do Not” category.

Spoiler alert: It wasn't all bad. I'm just going to save the good... and the ugly... for another day.

But for now... I hate the Dark Side. Definitely following the path to the light from here on out.
 
I did, in fact, log a new half marathon record: Worst. Half. Ever.

By a solid 14 minutes.

It’s not like this caught me by surprise. I knew it was coming. Still, I found myself getting a little choked up every time my Garmin alerted me another slow mile had passed. At the mile 11 marker, I saw the race clock at the exact time I would have needed to cross the finish line to achieve my sub 2 goal.

Yes, there were some tears. This was not the way it was supposed to have happened.

I had been doing the math the entire race, but having the visual confirmation of my impending failure really stung, especially since I had 2.1 miles left to go and knew at that point I’d be clocking the slowest half marathon of my life.

When I ran the Star Wars Rebel Challenge last year, I raced the 10k the day before and still managed to move the needle in the right direction for my half (2:07 compared to 2:10 for Wine and Dine, the race that previously held the honor of being my worst). I didn’t even bother to race the Dark Side 10k on Saturday morning this time around, opting instead to “wog” with my husband. So technically, I should have had more "juice" to race my half this time. It just didn't work out that way. I hate that I've lost so much "ability" in just over a year's time.

I also hobbled away with a fantastic new injury, so my running shoes have been collecting dust since the race. Here’s your warning – the following is not for the squeamish. Doing my best to publish this below the fold, so you have time to detour to Facebook or something where you’ll find happier photos of me.

EWWWWW. That is a gross swollen purple foot.

Photo was taken the day after the race. It's looking much better a week later, but still not 100% healed. I'd say send positive vibes to my foot so that I can pick up training for the Infinity Gauntlet Challenge, but I need positive vibes to go elsewhere right now.

On pride

"This is not how I thought this day was going to go."

Sorry Han. Here's hoping it doesn't get as bad for me as it got for you.

In less than one week, I will have completed the Star Wars Half Marathon. And it's not going to go how I thought it might when I started the blog back in September.

I will not be doing it in under 2 hours. In fact, it's likely I'll be recording my slowest race time ever.

Between preparing for my upcoming race and hearing that I have a lot of work to do if I wish to keep my front teeth, I'm taking a lot of blows to my ego this week... which was fragile enough to begin with.

But you know what? I have NO regrets. Bring it on, public failure.

You think failing privately would have made me feel any better?

Imma survive this. Every day, I actively make a choice to post. I choose to share this. I could have kept it all to myself. I could have never started the blog. And I could have stopped writing when I knew I wasn't going to achieve my goal.

The truth is that I've realized everyone is starring in their own movie, and I'm just an extra. Does anybody care if the extra runs a sub 2 half marathon? Hell no.

There was never a real risk to my pride, right? And look at everything I gained out of putting myself out there. A Jedi Master reached out to coach me off the run, eat, repeat cycle. I have six months worth of detailed notes that can help me figure things out for the next half marathon. And I started out thinking I'd have to quit running at some point if I ever wanted to get healthy, and learned that just isn't true.

Oh, and for those who have been with me for a while, remember this post? The one about New Year's Resolutions and having more fun? I think my real failure here is lack of keeping up with the fun.

So I'm going to do whatever it takes to have fun at my races (remember, there are actually two, even though I've been so focused on the half marathon only) next weekend.

And then I'm going to have to figure out what I want to do with this blog afterwards. I'll be taking at least a week off for vacation, but it's TBD what happens after that. I know I'll have to update my "Start Here" page. Not sure what else the future holds in terms of updates.

Today's exercise: Rest

Spoiler Alert

It's official. I'm not quitting running:

Not too many have been with me since the beginning, but those who have know that my original intention was to run the Star Wars Half in under 2 hours and then quit running so that I could stop the run, eat, repeat cycle and focus on getting healthy.

After 2.5 months of training without improvement, I was clued into the idea that there was a way to keep running in my life and get healthy at the same time. I just needed to slow down for a while.

And slowing down for a while was great for improving my health... but hasn't worked out so great for getting me to a sub 2 Star Wars half (which, btw, is only 11 days away). This impending public failure has dealt a huge blow to my self-esteem. If I've seemed more despondent than usual lately, this is why.

I need to redeem myself.

So I decided that Star Wars can not be my last half marathon.

The Avengers Half Marathon will be on Sunday, November 13th, at 5:30 am. That's seven months away... and seven more months beyond when I started this blog.

Remind me when November rolls around that if I'm not able to run a sub 2 half marathon after 14 months of training, then I think it's pretty obvious it will be time for me to find a new hobby.

In the meantime, I'm going to take 60-second improvements in MAF times as a clear sign that there is NO WAY I'm not getting that sub 2 in November.

Today's exercise: Unplanned rest.