Now What?

In 3 days I am supposed to run the Shamrockn' Half Marathon in Sacramento. I have been battling hip problems for nearly 2 weeks and had a run haitus for 10 days. My 3 mile run yesterday went very well. No pain, just a little stiffness this morning.

Now as I sit here, I am feeling a twinge of pain in the hip. Shit.

Should I run Shamrockn anyway? I don't know. I anticipated a nice little PR but now, that idea is out of the question I am sure. Maybe I should just skip the race and enjoy sleeping in instead?? Firm decision-making is not my forte obviously.

Last year, Shamrockn did not go well for me at all. I just didn't feel well and later that day realized I was coming down with the flu. Am I slated for another lackluster performance? Should I just dress up as a crazy leprechaun and enjoy myself and not worry about a PR?

No I wouldn't really wear this.. The wand is too heavy to carry..

.

I suppose I will just decide saturday night or sunday morning how I feel and plan my day accordingly.

Something to look forward to--I will be going to see Russell Peters live in Sacramento Sunday night. Nothing can cheer me up more than watching Russell Peters impersonate indian accents with gusto and verve.


And just for fun, I've include another clip. I am actually in the clip at time stamp :35. I went to this comedy show many years ago and you can see my reaction at his insistence that Indian Women are hairy.


Later!

Urban Cow 2011 WTF?

Last year I finished Urban Cow halfmarathon in 1:55. I haven't been training very consistently so I was sure I would be slower this year; but I was secretly hoping for a 1:53. Crazy!

• Someone stole my headphones while I was in the porta-potty so NO music during the race.
  
  
• IT Bands flared at mile 4.
  
  
• Passed by a 60 year old woman at mile 2.
  
  
• Looked longingly into the medical tent at mile 5 and wondered if they could give me a ride back to the start.
  
  
• Kept plugging along and figured I might as well just finish the race.
  
  
• At mile 10 I honestly thought "I HATE RUNNING AND I NEVER WANT TO DO THIS AGAIN."
  
  
• Got to the finish line and was very proud of myself.
  
  
• Ran into someone I knew 20 years ago (!) at the finish area. We exchanged contact information.
  
  2:08 finish time this year. 13 minutes slower than last year so basically 1 min/mile slower. That's ok though.
  
  
  So here's my dilemma: Of the 4 half marathon races in the Sacramento area, I have done 2 of them 3 times. (Urban Cow X 3, Shamrockn' X3). The other two I have only done twice (Four Bridges Half Marathon and Parkway Half Marathon). My finisher medals on my wall need to be symetrical. I need order and equality. Four Bridges Half Marathon is October 30. I am scheduled to run 20 miles that day. Should I try to run 7 miles and then do the half marathon? Should I skip the half marathon and just do my 20 miles? Shall I risk inflammed IT Bands at Four Bridges (IT Band issues are chronic for me during Four Bridges).. I need order and equality but not sure if I am ready to pay the price?? What do you think?