Today I’m Thinking Out Loud about not being jinxed by well wishes for a PR in my upcoming race, and everything race related. Of course. Plus the furkids. Of course.

Trying something different
I’ve pretty much been trying to lose weight for the last 8 years or so. That includes during training for all my halfs. This year is no different. And yes, I’d still love to drop about 5 pounds, but I decided to try something different, at least during the last few weeks.

I didn’t worry as much about what I ate. I’m not saying I went crazy, or didn’t continue to plan my meals, or be mindful of sugar. But I decided this training cycle it was more important to eat some extra carbs and maybe be just a bit heavier. As long as my clothes are comfortable, I’m okay!

And speaking of okay, yes, I’m about 3 pounds heavier than I’d like to be — I know that sounds like nothing, but for a petite girl that can make a big difference in how my clothes fit. So while I’m not saying my clothes are uncomfortable, they are a wee bit tighter than I’d like.

What will my night before race meal be?
Normally I like sushi. But since I was in a group for my last half, pizza and cheese garlic bread it was. And then there was that surprising PR.

Maybe I should go for cheese garlic sticks again? Nothing much better than cheesy garlic bread if you ask me.

Finding the time
I spent just under 6 hours running in my peak week of running, which was actually a total of 29 miles.

So why does it seem like it was all consuming? We have 168 hours in a week, so seriously, 6 hours shouldn’t be a burden. Of course, there’s changing, driving to an area to run in, warming up, foam rolling, showering, eating a recovery snack . . . it’s not really just 6 hours.

Still it seems like it should at least have been about 20 hours!

And then of course there’s the thought that that’s like running a marathon. Only spread out over a week. So no, not so much like running a marathon.

I’ve seen the signs
Everyone keeps telling me on I’m track for a PR. I know that it all comes down to race day; no matter how hard you’ve worked for it, a PR is never a given. I also know I do better if I don’t put that sort of pressure on myself, even if I did tell Rachel @ Runningonhappy that I wanted to work towards a PR.

The main reason I did tell her I wanted to work towards a PR was that the course should be flat and fast and since it’s early spring, there’s hope for favorable weather.

Whatever, I truly intend to enjoy my race (and carry a little extra water in case).

But Thursday, I saw the signs! As I left to go to my chiropractor appointment, I was passed by a Smuttynose truck. I’ve never seen one here. And Smuttynose was my triumphant return to running after a really bad half and intense bout of ITBS.

Then who should I run into while at the chiropractor’s? My running buddy, whom I kept meaning to email (she’s not on social media, dammit), but hadn’t gotten around to. We hadn’t seen each other in a couple of months.

Are these really signs? Who knows, but I’m going to take them as such!

Come run Utah with me
Don’t forget that code crj15 gets you 15% off of your registration for the Utah Valley Marathon (your choice of three race distances). The price goes up on March 2, so register today!

I’m running the half, and quite a few other bloggers will be racing, too.

Disclaimer: I make a small amount of money if you register using my code.

Bandit update
Speaking of things I’ve never seen before . . . the photo above. Oh sure, every once in a while they share a bed. For like 30 seconds.

This time they stayed side by side for a good 10 minutes, while I went downstairs to retrieve the good camera (taking a few shots with my ipod first because I was sure they’d never be together when I came back up).

Talk to me. Tell me in the comments:

Would you rather drop a few pounds to be comfortable or eat all the carbs?

Do you believe in signs? If you do, do you remember the last one you saw?

Got any NOLA restaurant recommendations for me? Or any tips about NOLA?

I’m linking up with Amanda at Running with Spoons for her: