Solid as melting ice

Now that the Seal Beach run came and went, I can focus again on the now-daunting half marathon that stands in my way some, what?, 14 days from now.

Actually, counting today, I have exactly 12 days of preparation left before facing this monstrous challenge. 13.1 miles ain't nothin' to sneeze at. It's not quite nervous time yet, although soon I know I'll get to the why-the-hell-did-I-ever-think-this-was-a-good-idea phase. Probably two to three days before the run, and then all morning of the run itself.

Still, I have some time before then to continue training, but some of the time has been taken for me and is called for already. These last 12 days of training may or may not run smoothly, and judging by my life, it'll be the latter and not the former.

Today is all but out. So is Thursday. This actually wouldn't be the case - at least for today - if I actually ran in the afternoons or evenings. But I've found that because I perform so horribly to afternoon runs that it's actually counterproductive - I get tense before I run, I can't focus and don't seem to ever really gain my focus at any point during the run, I feel twice as physically drained as I do during the morning, and it's really really not an enjoyable experience at all.

(Quick side: I sometimes think that if I wasn't able to have done my workouts with my trainer in the mornings, I'd still be a heavy guy)

So afternoons are out, and that's too bad. I might try and change this at some point in the future since sometimes running in the afternoons might be the only viable option I have.

Wednesday I'll need to run, probably an outdoor run. Friday I'll have my girls with me all day so probably a gym run. Saturday will be just me and the girls again until the early afternoon (wife's traveling for work) so my 10-mile run now became a six-mile treadmill excursion. But I'll split that up with another 5-6 miles on Sunday, instead of 10 on Saturday and none on Sunday.

Now, keep in mind, this plan is about as fluid as the water I'm working on right now. It can change at a moment's notice, or my daughters' whims.

Next week seems more open to me, with possible morning runs likely for Monday, Wednesday, Thursday, Friday and Saturday. The only problem is, I'm not about to put any excess miles on my legs leading up to the race itself. I'll have to figure out how to properly enter the race, although I'm thinking of a long(er) run on Wednesday, about 3-4 miles on Thursday and maybe intervals on Friday, at which point I'll be wondering why the hell I ever thought this race was a good idea.

So there's my plan. Funny thing, just thinking that this plan is setting me up for a half marathon makes me nervous. It's kind of like getting dressed to go see the doctor or something, if you're nervous about seeing doctors. Like, these clothes will transport me to the dreaded doctor.

This plan will be the vehicle for which I will participate in an extremely unsettling experience.

And since I'm not running today, you'd think I'd be able to relax. Instead, it's the other way around. I'm going to have to try and not be grouchy and feeling negatively about my inability to run today.

I'll have to think happy thoughts. Well, at about 10:30 a.m. on April 19, I'll be happy. But then I'll probably do something dumb and sign up for the Camp Pendleton Half Marathon, which will kick this thing off all over again.

Because I like torture. I think that's the best way to describe it.