Race Week - Also, Do Not Eat These Cookies!

First of all: Happy Halloween! I am currently wearing a big bunny costume which I have worn many times over.  This thing is from the 70s and actually belongs to my dad.  No, I am not going to post a picture :)
This year I have barely had any Halloween candy.  Not a single piece of candy corn has passed through my lips.  Today I actually want some candy, but there is only a bowl of Tootsie Rolls in the office kitchen.  I only eat Tootsie Rolls if I'm desperate.

Anyway, this Saturday is the Louisville Half Marathon.  At this point I am more excited than nervous.  It's been 2.5 years since my last half marathon and my best half marathon time is 2:14:55 which is pretty slow - I think it's around a 10:30 mile.  Here's the thing: I am running faster than that pace, but I've only trained up to 8 miles.  Let's say I can maintain a 9:30 pace for the first 8 miles: that's 76 minutes or 1 hour and 16 minutes.  I'd need to complete the last 5 miles in 58 minutes in order to beat my PR.  That seems doable! Because I'll be in a race setting I know I will probably run a little faster than normal, but I will have a couple miles of hills and I'm expecting that I'll need to walk at some point.  All in all, I think that beating 2:14:55 is a very realistic goal, but I'm not going to blow it out of the water. 

On Monday I went to a Bikram class so I could get a little more value from my Groupon.  I was very comfortable in the heat and I never felt tired.  The only issue was what I've mentioned before - my flexibility.  For example, take a look at the full expression of this pose - Standing Bow:

When I was consistently doing Bikram, I was pretty darn close to this, like maybe 85-90% of the way there.  Now I am closer to 50%, but I accept where I am!  It's just like any other activity...you can't take months and months off and expect to come back at the same level from before...unless you're a freak! :)

Yesterday I ran an easy 3.3 miles and today I'm going to do a light tempo run, and then nothing until Saturday! 

Ok - update.  You know those sugar cookies you can get just about anywhere, the white ones w/ the colored icing?  These?

Do not eat these cookies unless you are trying to make yourself throw up.  I just ate a Halloween one and five minutes afterwards my face was white and I was on the verge of puking it back up. 
Yikes.  Ok, maybe my sugar binge is over.

Happy Halloween!