So I have the Big Sur International Marathon on April 28th and the M2B Marathon on May 26th. They are four weeks apart. I would love to PR at M2B in Ojai, which would mean breaking 3:40.

One of my favorite races, the 18-miler at the East Bay Mermaid Run, is right in the middle. Originally, I had my big goal of PR-ing at the marathon at the end of May, so decided against the 18-miler.

I was advised by Misty that if I was able to just run it and not race it, that I should sign up. This would prevent me from burning out completely by the time I raced in Ojai.

I knew I would not be able to do that, so I decided against signing up for it.

And then… I changed my mind recently.

I couldn’t help myself:

That’s right. I registered for this year’s Mermaid Run (Sirena 18). It’s just cool that there aren’t many 18-mile races out there. I figure that since there are plenty during the year that are 26.2 miles, and pretty much only this one that is 18 miles, I’ll go for it.

Plus, I got 5th place overall the first time I ran it…

and 3rd place overall last year (1st in age division):

^And my running friend Tammy got second place overall!

This race has been good to me. Even if I don’t actually place, I think it will still be a good long run before the full marathon that follows two weeks later. It would actually be better if I didn’t RACE and just RAN it… but I don’t know if I’ll be able to have enough discipline and self-control to do that.

I’ll just be praying super hard that I won’t be regretting this decision because of overuse injury or some other crap… or having to say useless phrases like “Hindsight is 20/20”.

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I did a very difficult tempo run yesterday. My marathon training plan asked for “2 mi w/u, 5 mile tempo, 2 mile c/d”.

Okaaaaaaayyy…. 

I didn’t know if I was capable of that. I figured if 5 miles turned into 4, then that would be good enough.

Warm-up: 2 miles, 8:34 pace

Tempo: 2.5 miles, 7:30 pace. 2.5 miles 7:24 pace (last quarter mile sped up to 7:13 pace because I just wanted it to be over and done).

Cooldown: 2 miles, ranging from 8:20 to 8:00 pace (again, because I wanted this crap to be over).

The faster you run, the sooner you’re done. 

Hey. DID I JUST MAKE UP A CATCHY PHRASE? Nah. I’m sure someone else has said that before.

Anyways, that’s pretty much what I was thinking as soon as I started the tempo miles. I’ve NEVER done 5 miles at tempo pace (which according to mcmillanrunning.com should be around 7:20-7:36 pace).

So there you have it. 9.0 miles in 71 minutes. Five mile tempo completed. Not too shabby.

And, of course, I did 9 minutes on the spin bike, just so I could cool down even more and use my leg muscles differently. I don’t know if it actually helps, but I have been doing that these days and I like it. 

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Throughout the day yesterday, I felt drained. My legs weren’t tired or sore, but I just had an overall sense of fatigue, like I’m walking around on an empty tank.

This is when I need to make sure I get enough rest and SLEEP. Last time, I had a pretty high mileage week (because I was trying to break 50 miles in one week) and I got sick. Right before Vegas. That was so much fun.

So to be smart, I went to bed at 9:00 pm or so, did some reading, and slept for like… ten hours, I slept ten hours on Wednesday night, too. I just hope that’s not how much body actually requires. Otherwise, I wouldn’t really be able to get much done.

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Today’s plan? Class, do a lower body workout, go to praise practice, and Bible study.

What are your plans for this gorgeous Friday?

[*Edited to add]:

I am featured on fitblogger today :D! I’m grateful for the opportunity to share my story with a wider audience. Hope connect with more readers and all work together to be healthy in mind, body and Spirit!