Pickle on the side...

First things first... Long run yesterday = fantastic. I had to de-layer early on in the run and hide my sweatshirt (note to self: buy proper winter running gear and stop trying to run in oversized sweatshirt) in a bush, but after that, I felt great (thanks be to my spandex "tights"). I ran all the way to the water/Gatorade stop, which was about 5 miles out, without stopping. And can I just say: Lemon-Lime Gatorade never tasted so good.

When I turned back, I just kept running. In total, I ran over 6.5 miles before ever stopping to walk! And I felt great. My legs felt strong, no weird knee issues, not overly breathless... all in all, it was a great run. An Academy Awards Speech type of run, according to the list published by Half-fast (do check him out, he is H to the I to the L to the A-R-I-O-U-S!).

All in all, I covered 9 miles, and ran 8! A new PR. The even more impressive PR is that I felt comfortable doing it. Sometimes my long runs can be a bit treacherous, me weaving and huffing and puffing by the end of it. But I actually felt great during this run, and my splits confirmed that I didn't get too worn out with this one.

***Side note: We ran yesterday at "Bible Park". So, I'm thinking that it's near a church, or a lot of churches? NOT SO. Apparently, it's named after a person James A. Bible. Don't I feel like an idiot? But I wasn't entirely wrong... in this area of Denver, there are a churches aplenty, one seemingly in every flavor!***

And, at last... the long awaited photos of me in my fabulous Halloween costume!

That's right. I was a bag of jelly beans. Fun? = YES, Practical? = NO. I looked like a pregnant mom in her final weeks of her third trimester trying to sit down. Finally, I just abandoned the effort and resigned to stand all night. And everyone kept trying to pop me!

Some of my friends showed up in some pretty fabulous costumes, as well. Here are HarmonicaMan, dressed as a Wii remote, and RunnerBoy, dressed as a cowboy (complete with a horse!). I didn't get a picture of my other friends who had dressed up, though. Thanks to Red (who made a lovely Angel) and her boyfriend (who was a great Jason) for coming out, and to Kev-bones and SoxFan, who came dressed as Rockies Fans.

Here's me with all my homies: (L to R) HarmonicaMan, RunnerBoy, Kev-Bones, SoxFan, and ME!

Though fun, last night's turnout = small. We had TONS of food and drinks and we'd decorated for hours, but only about 15 people showed up. It was still a good time, until the Rockies lost. Then it was just terrible. I wanted to pop my own balloons by that point. In the end, I think our group made just over $400, which has to be split 3 ways. I had dreamed that my share of our earnings from last night would be $300-$400, which would be enough to get me to my required amount for re-commitment, which is why I posted last night in such a sad state. My deepest apologies. I try not to let my sad feelings and disappointment related to running seep into the posts I leave here, because who wants to read that crap, right? But I haven't been completely honest with you all... and it's time to come clean.


That is part of my re-commitment paperwork for TNT. The official race entry form. And, as you can see in the top right-hand corner in the gray box, I have checked "Marathon" rather than "Half-Marathon".

The entire time that I've been training, I've been following the training schedule for the Full Marathon. And I've been able to hang, so far. In fact, yesterday while waiting for the run to begin, I noticed that the longest training run for the Half Marathon (on the TNT training plan) is 2:20. Which I've now done a few weekends in a row! Surely that is evidence that if I keep pushing myself, I can make it the whole 26.2miles!

Until this point, I wasn't prepared to advertise that I had my heart set on the full marathon. I'd just told everyone I was planning on the half, because in the back of my mind, I was worried I would fail.

But I haven't failed... at least not yet. I've been getting stronger and more confident with each week, and I've actually started to believe that I could do the full marathon! My long runs have been getting easier, and I am actually getting a little faster... I thought I could make it.

*sigh* So, this is why I'm so disappointed. I've invested a lot of heart into completing this marathon, and I want to do it with TNT. But I am at a crossroads, so to speak, with my fundraising. If I sign the re-commitment paperwork, I am obligated to raise another $3000. Which I'm not sure I can do, as I haven't yet raised $1000 (which I am required to do by 10/30). If I don't sign the paperwork, I have to drop out.

It's a dilemma, and I only have a couple of days to get it figured out.