It's over, man. Let her go.

You know, these next 2 days off might prove to be great timing for you. With some healthy eating and nice rest over the weekend, you may end up coming back next week feeling really strong. Do try to incorporate some ROM or active stretching in AM and PM, though.

I hope your weekend goes well!

Hi, welcome to the blog. I like how you have a realistic training schedule planned out. Very disciplined. I wouldn't be surprised if you exceed your goals fairly readily. I also like the e-mail story. Those utility ladies have no sense of humor.

Do not stress over this run. Running long distances on a treadmill can be very daunting. I struggle to get to 3!!! Take a little break and all will be well!

Yes, Amen to the bit about how hard it is to run on a treadmill! I'd rather run in a hailstorm than on a treadmill.

Also, during my run today, I was thinking about your comment about how hard it is to imagine that you ran the 9:49 pace for the 1/2. That's totally normal. For one thing, we're filled with adrenaline during races. But also, you were SO ready. You had been training for that speed, you had gone through a nice taper. It doesn't mean you've lost anything. I was thinking about that because today I was running a comfortable pace for 12 miles. As you know, I'm just "on hold" with my own running till I determine which marathon to do. So, I decided to just pick up the pace a bit, and I told myself I'd do 8:00 for one mile. That sounded like it should have been a piece o' cake! I mean, I JUST a month ago ran an average 7:49 pace for 26 miles! But no, I actually struggled to keep up the 8:00 for the mile. But I won't let that discourage me because it's really, truly, totally normal!

Of course, it's not something we ever want to find ourselves using as an excuse. But we can remember that it's OK if we are struggling a bit. Meanwhile, just keep doing the things you know are important to help you be healthy and energetic, such as healthy food, good sleep, stretching, foam rolling, and keeping up with the training.

Echo the difficulties with the TM. I can't go more than 30-40 minutes before feeling like I've run a marathon (not that I'd know what that's like) and need to get off. Hopefully you'll get the chance to run outside soon, it makes all the difference for me.

We discussed that same thing today on our rin. When I ran my first race, I typically ran at a 9:30 pace and anything faster felt like a sprint. But then I ran the race and had an average around 8:30. Something happens in a race that can not be duplicated anywhere else.

There's something wonderful and mysterious about races that makes us all superhuman!

Aw, you guys/gals are awesome! I was a little bummed but after reading all your nice, motivational, supportive comments, I can look forward to next week! Plus, the weather looks like it's finally breaking some so I should be out on the roads vs. the TM next week! Thanks everyone!