Last night, I made sure to take all the necessary steps to prepare myself for my race this morning. You know, because there’s nothing like procrastination.

I checked the weather for this morning…

I laid out my gear…

I finally decided to  write down some directions. Kind of important, no?

And let me tell you that a race an hour away makes for a very early wake-up call. Yawn. I really wanted some coffee…but the fear of coffee instigated bathroom needs mid-race stopped me. TMI? Meh.

Back to last night’s prep work. I also made sure to do the most important thing of all and eat up some grub. We normally grab some Subway for dinner on Friday nights (hello any foot long for $5!!!), but I had a craving for something else.

We have boxes of those staring at me from my pantry all the time. We use them once or twice a month for an easy dinner for Makenzie, but I don’t think we have ever had Annie’s Mac and Cheese as our main dinner. I don’t really know why. Clearly we had no good reason, so I grabbed a box for our dinner.

Easy peasy dinner. Annie’s White Cheddar Shells plus some broccoli and onion I cooked up and added to the mix. Alongside some spinach salad with cranberries, golden raisins, walnuts, blue cheese, and raspberry vinaigrette dressing.

I had a happy belly last night. Let’s just hope that the whole eating something completely different before a race doesn’t backfire on me this morning.

After dinner, I wound down the night by doing something I find all too fun – blog reading! I almost read more of my book, but just didn’t have the mental focus to go with one plot line. Does that happen to anyone else? I know it must!

But anyways…I couldn’t focus on one topic but wanted to zone out with some good entertainment. Blog reading was the perfect way to go. I really love that about blog reading. You can get such variety!

Hi, Monica!

I read so many blogs for so many different reasons. I read some for great recipe ideas. I read some for workout inspiration. I read some for pure entertainment. I read some because I can always count on them for a positive jolt. I read some because I connect in a very significant way to their story. I read some because they know motherhood. I read some to learn something new.

So…my point? I get a lot from blogs. They never get old to me. I like blogs. Great way to spend a Friday night when your husband has random stuff going on.

Added bonus? Motivation for my race today. I promise to be back later with a recap! Wish me luck! <--- luck meaning that I stick with my plan of not killing myself of course

• What is the #1 reason you enjoy reading blogs?
• Are you a procrastinator?

I keep forgetting something. I have a 15K race planned for this weekend.

In the summer, Lee brought up a great 15K race that she loves running called the Peachtree City Classic. She has run it a few years and says the course is really nice and it’s a well put together race.

It sounded perfect to me! Nice race and a perfect distance to fit into half marathon training. Just a few weeks out from my half, I knew having something fun thrown into the mix for a long run would help a lot. Plus, I love doing races with Lee! She even accompanied me on my very first race ever.

And seeing your shirt, Lee, reminds me that next year I am so game to do that Pub Crawl 5K with you.

Anyways…

I am really, really excited for the race – even if I haven’t exactly checked out information crazily about it yet. I just have one wee little problem.

I’m going to have to learn to race easy.

In both my 5K race and my 10K race, I wanted to see just what my body could do. So, I pushed myself. You may notice, I like pushing myself. I like competing against myself. I must remember, though, that I have a half marathon three weeks away.

Also, it just so happens that this week calls for a recovery week on my plan. The mileage for the race fits well enough (just a mile higher than a recovery long run), but I for sure know racing a race might not be the smartest idea. I want to save my A game for Savannah!

I get so caught up in the race environment and the adrenaline makes me push my pace. Believe me…it is too easy to run fast for a race. You may regret it halfway into it or later that day, but during it the speed feels so natural.

I’ve been doing good sticking to recovery runs for the week. On Tuesday, I didn’t want to risk getting sick running in the drizzle. I also wanted to keep my pace steady and run flat. So, I locked myself on the treadmill for six miles at a steady pace.

I plan on cranking out 4 miles on it today in the same fashion. And then I just have to save my energy on Saturday – focus on having fun and remember Savannah coming up just around the corner.

• Do you have an inner competitive nature? I am so competitive against myself on fitness things. I love the challenge!
• Thoughts/experiences to share on racing during training? Help me reign it in, friends! Or let me know if I don’t really have to!