Stress, Run, Run Away

The last few weeks have been stressful. In addition it has been cold and the daylight very fleeting. I've felt like a bear stuffing myself to lay down for a long winter's nap. I've been sleeping extraordinarily well (for me) and getting up in the morning from my nice warm bed into my cold, dark house has been a real chore. This week at work the stress has been turned up a notch dealing with the inevitable pre-holiday crisis that no one has time to deal with but has to figure out how to make time.

This afternoon I looked up and it was still relatively light out, it was 50 degrees, and I had running clothes in the car. I did what any stressed out girl would do, I turned off the computer, stuffed everything in my bag, changed my clothes and went for a run. Sans iPod. Really, that was the hardest part. It felt good to stretch my legs, to not worry who was going to come with the next demand or question that I really didn't want to answer. It was me, answering to myself for the running I haven't been doing over the past several weeks. The good news, nothing hurt, my breathing was never very labored. The bad news, I was excruciatingly slow and my heart rate was high. All in all, I'll take it. I was worried that by the time I got another run in I'd be horribly out of shape!

Today an e-mail came out about the Cherry Blossom 10-miler. I really wanted to do it as a tune-up for the half marathon. It's just two weeks before that race. They scared me with the 2:20 time limit and the "we'll pull you off the course" talk. Am I really up to that? Should I just stick to the training plan and not add this race? Last year it filled up in 4 hours so if I decide I want to do it there is no time to waste!