Gluttony on Thankgiving Day

Perhaps it was temporary insanity, maybe just a love of running, perhaps I just didn't want to let a nascent tradition die. But whatever it was, I think it is easy to determine that I am a glutton for punishment. Let me explain.

When I signed up for my marathon I decided to run the Chickamauga Battlefield Marathon because it was a much flatter course than the Atlanta Marathon held on Thanksgiving Day. If you remember, I ran the Half-Marathon last year. During my training I often contemplated if I should just go ahead and run the Half again this year but figured I wouldn't have the desire so soon after my marathon. I figured wrong. Almost as soon as I finished two weeks ago I contemplated that it is not too late to run again on Thanksgiving. At the time I thought I would be out of town or have other Holiday plans but as the date approached, those plans fell through for various reasons. Then came Sunday...

While at church I was talking to a runner that I ran the first mile with last year and asked her if she was running again this year. She said that she was and asked me if I was. I mumbled some excuse about having just run my marathon and something about doubting I could best the time I clocked for the first half of that run... She then answered, "You can't expect that, run it for the fun, you know you can do it, it's a short training run compared to what you were doing for your marathon."

At that, I realized she was right. I was running 16-20 miles each Saturday for two months, all at a pace faster than I ran my Half Marathon last year! Although I ran the first half of my Marathon in 1:44:12, my official PR for the Half is still at 1:59:05 because that is the only race at that distance I have run.

So I did it. That night I went online and signed up for the Half Mary on Thanksgiving Day. Yesterday I arranged for a bus ride to and from the race with my local running store. Despite the fact that they had "closed" the sign-up window a week ago, they made one, and only one exception, for me. Why? I don't know, but I was explicitly told that I was officially the last registrant. A sign?

The only running I have done since my Marathon is a grand total of 3 runs for just over 13.7 miles... less than a mile more than I will be running on Thursday. With the lack of running, the celebratory food I consumed after my marathon, and the sheer amount of leftover Halloween candy I have consumed since then it is no wonder I am up 2-3 lbs since my marathon, but still in the 188 range. I will not even think about gunning for that 1:44:12, don't worry. It is about the fun and joy of running and continuing a tradition I started last year. It is about earning my Turkey. It is about being a glutton for punishment.

So my questions for you...

1. Am I crazy for even trying this so soon after my marathon?
2. What is your guess on my finishing time (assume I do finish...)?
3. Is this any less insane than playing football with a bunch of teenagers from church that morning?