No Red Shoe race for Crusher

After last night's tempo workout (which went well overall), I've decided that I don't want to race a half-marathon this coming Monday in Iowa City, not when I have another already scheduled and paid for on the 8th. I am not backing anything off this week in anticipation of running a race, so I would be even less fresh than I was for the 10-miler last week (where I called the race the week's quality tempo workout, and if you tally up the race, the 20 miles the following day, and the miles and hard workout I've been getting in this week, my legs will have done a lot of work in the last seven days). If I felt anything like I felt in the 10-miler, even if I paced the half a little better I probably still wouldn't run better than 1:40, and that wouldn't make me very happy. I don't feel like paying for a 13-mile tempo workout. I'll get my scheduled 20-mile mix of miles and tempo intervals done on my own and cool it a bit during the following week so I can go into the already-paid-for half-marathon in Wilmington on legs that have taken a little easier.

Another reason I'm backing off on doing this race is that I think I'm starting to feel the accumulating miles. These weeks are the biggest and toughest of the training schedule, and during them I'm asking a lot out of my body, which I have already asked a lot out of. Since I started running marathons, I have never run this much in a four-month stretch (on pace for a theoretical ~2400 miles this year, a lot more than I've ever done) and I feel like I'm running on the edge of doing too much, but haven't gone over that line yet. Maybe that's normal when you bump up weekly mileage long-term for the first time, but I'm the type to worry every day that tomorrow's long miles or interval workout will be what pushes me over the edge and I'm hurt and won't be able to do Vermont City. I'm pretty thrilled that so far I've made it without anything that's hindering me from running, but any little twinge anywhere and I'm chewing my fingernails hoping it doesn't last or turn into worse. I think I'm going to need a long recovery after the VCM. Just have a month left of hard work, and then I can take a vacation from a tough schedule.