And now for some positives

Positive: I'm doing well with the running/life balance thing. Not so well with the work/life balance thing, because work has been crazy lately, but I think I've managed to juggle all three balls without dropping one.

I was going to do a long run this morning. I hoped for at least 10. Then I got a crazy streak and thought I'd do 15. However, I let myself sleep in first, because I've been stressed and worn out lately. Then I had to deal with a work situation, which left me with about an hour to run. So I decided to make the best of it and get some 10k practice, since I'm running a 10k next week, and I haven't just done a nice 10k run in a while. I was going to try for negative splits, but once I got out there, I realized, yeah, I'm tired, and I hurt. 10 miles wouldn't have gone well anyway, and I think I kinda knew that. So I changed my plan and went for even pacing, and did it well. 6 miles with splits 9 seconds or less apart. (Mostly less.)

That also means that I hit my goal of 100 miles in February. Yay!

I want to meet that sub-60 10k goal....someday. Next weekend could be it, but that is too close to the edge of what I can do to be my goal. Today was 1:01 something, and I was tired. But next weekend I could be tired, or have an off day, and the 10k will be hillier than my neighborhood.

I want to be at my best to hit a sub-60 (and I'd have to be), but I'm also a regular blood donor. It's pretty important to me. Now is the best time to do it (since I'm eligible, obviously) because I'm going out of town for the weekend, and because it's over two weeks until the next long run. There's not going to be another good time for it until after the marathon. I weighed this pretty heavily, but in the end I decided that it's entirely possible that I won't hit a sub-60 after all, and if that's the case, I'm not too picky about what my time is. (Faster than thanksgiving would be preferable, but that's all.) So I bled into a bag tonight, I feel good about it, and I'll take whatever I can do next weekend even if my red blood cells haven't all bounced back into action again.

Balance. Priorities. Sub-60 will be easier in the future.

I will be hydrating like mad tonight.

As for the bad run the other day, I always tell people that progress is rarely linear. Is it realistic to expect that every run is going to be better and faster than the one before it? Obviously not. Sometimes it's two steps forward, one back. Regardless, the important thing is that a step back is never a step all the way back. My nearly 7 mile run where I felt like crap was still at a :16 faster per mile pace than the 10k I ran three months ago. It's at the pace that used to be reserved for my best and fastest runs, not too long ago. And THAT is exactly what I call progress.

I'm due for another really great run soon...after I enjoy my weekend off, make some more red cells, and regroup physically and mentally.

And finally......I ordered and received new running gear. YAY! First, I got a pair of Pearl Izumi Thermal Lite arm warmers. I figure that with our long runs starting before the sun comes up (same with the marathon!) I'm going to need something warm that I can shed when it gets too hot for it, and I don't want to carry a jacket at the marathon. Arm warmers may be the perfect solution. And they're cute!! I can't wait until it warms up enough so I can try them out!

And then I got a road ID. I had an inexpensive emergency medical bracelet that broke before too long. Girls on the Run gave me a gift certificate that covered most of the price of the Road ID, so I took advantage of that. It's way nicer than the cheapie one, and it's also almost cute (a cute color anyway - hey, I don't feel super attractive when I'm sweating and huffing and puffing, so I do what I can!) and the best part - I had two free lines after all my emergency info. So I added two slogans: "Pain is temporary" (a throwback to my roller derby days when this was one of our mantras) and "Don't dream it, be it" (from Rocky Horror Picture Show).

So now I have THREE motivating slogans on my arms. Hopefully that will help!!