Running with Pixie Dust

Good Lord. Eight miles is really long way to run, kids. I should have signed up for the 10K tomorrow and called it a day.

Today's run was technically supposed to be a 10K actually, but since I missed a long run to sleep in and hang out with David and turned last week's 8 miler into a mere 7, I decided to just make today my first 8 mile run.

To say that I had a great time would be an overstatement. Let's be honest... To say that I didn't consider dropping to the ground and crying would be an overstatement. You know how sometimes that first mile is really hard and then you get in the swing of it? It was that kind of run... Except it was the first four and a half miles. The good news is that I think my body was in shock by the time I hit 7 miles, so adding the extra mile wasn't too hard!

That being said... the more I do long runs, the more terrified I get for the half marathon itself.  I'm still planning on running the Rock 'n Roll Denver on October 9th, but I'll be honest with all of you.  I haven't registered yet because I'm scared I won't actually be able to do it.  The half marathon is 5 weeks from today and today I ran 8 miles and thought I was going to die.  The first half of the run was so hard, and the aftermath of the run was even worse.  I think I got dehydrated during the run (I need to buy a Camelbak this week, seriously) and then I kind of guzzled water as soon as I could.  That, plus exhaustion, plus running in long sleeves when I probably didn't need them added up to a whole lot of nausea.  I laid on the couch for a long time and then laid in bed.  I didn't even ice because I couldn't get the strength to get the ice packs, and refueling was so not happening because even thinking of food made me queasy.  I finally had a plain tortilla, which helped, and then my mom brought me breakfast.

The nausea eventually passed, but I'm getting really worried that I just don't have what it takes to do this half marathon thing.  After all, the training plan I'm following tops out at 10 miles for long runs, based on the idea that the adrenaline and everything happening at the race will get you through the last 3.  Now granted, adding on another mile today wasn't the hard part... the first 5 miles was.  But that can't be a good omen for the weeks to come.  And there's a big difference between powering through one extra mile at the end of 7 miles, and trying to tack 3 more miles onto the longest run I've ever done working with adrenaline alone (because we all know I'll be out of steam by then).  So I don't know what to do.  Do I bail on the Rock 'n Roll Denver and wait for a later race?  Do I increase mileage more than I was planning on and more than the training plan calls for?  Or do I go with the training plan, do the half in 5 weeks, and just cross my fingers?

TOO MANY DECISIONS.