Oxygen Deprived

It's official, I've been in contact with the race director for the American Discovery Trail Marathon and I'm now registered for the half marathon, instead of the full. It was kind of a tough decision because deep down I feel that I can run a full marathon. How well? That's still up in the air but even with the abbreviated training program I've been doing I feel like it's possible.

I didn't make the decision based on how some of my recent runs have gone though maybe I should have. I made the decision based on a hard look at the priorities in my life right now and how my schedule, with a good number of those priorities, is either about to or needs to drastically change. So, in an attempt to better balance those priorities I just felt it was the right thing to do.

To quote myself in a recent email:

"I've been realizing that my priorities with other things in my life haven't been set to well. I could still do the training yet be able to cut back a little bit and not have the stress of needing to get such long runs in. This in turn should give me more time for the other aspects of my life that have been neglected. I mean, I'm not sure why I was in such a hurry to run a full marathon as I've hardly done any racing. It was probably just the excitement of it but I want to continue to run, get in better and better shape and learn more about running for years to come. That should be my goal, not just getting a marathon under my belt. It's a tough decision though because part of me knows I can do it (how well though?). Like Jeff has posted about recently, I need to find that balance where my priorities are in order."

It's a decision that I feel good about. I'm excited to stick with the training program (tailored slightly I'm sure), to better my fitness and performance levels and to enjoy life with as little additional stress as possible.