Half Marathon No-Go

It's a dreary Saturday here in Houston and it was made even more dreary when I made the decision that I will not be participating in the 2013 Houston Half Marathon. While running is an option, I feel as though I am compromising my running form and will risk injuring myself even further, which is the last thing I want. I'm pretty bummed about it but with my toe still not at 100% and the threats of bad weather, it just seems to be the right decision for me.

I went ahead and combatted my sadness by registering for the Hot Chocolate 15K - America's Sweetest Race - in Dallas on February 9th, and the Nike Women's Marathon 10K on March 9th. The cool thing about the Hot Chocolate 15K is the finishers party because "hot chocolate and fondue will only be the icing on the cake." The cool thing about the Nike Women's Marathon 10K is that it's on your terms, on your time, and in your city. You simply log the miles using the Nike+ app. That's my kind of race!

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Amira and I (possibly) also have another very, very exciting half marathon on the horizon, that no offense to Houston, but might offer more exciting views while I am running. I will keep y'all posted on that one - look for the announcement around April because nothing is set in stone quite yet! I'll just put it this way - this half marathon is one of my summer job search motivators.

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Today features last-minute preparation for going back to Austin - including gathering and packing the last few things, printing off syllabi (yuck), and preparing a few meals to take back with me so that I can ease my way back into the whole cooking thing. My dad prepared this turkey chili for me to take back and it should last me at least a week - perfect for the cold weather expected in Austin.

I am also going to prepare my oatmeal-banana-almond butter "muffins" along with a few other things that save for a while, squeeze in a workout, and watch the 2013 Miss America pageant on ABC.

Have I given you my recipe for these yet? If not, I need to! They're easy, healthy, and delicious!

Enjoy the rest of your Saturday - I'll be thinking of all you awesome runners out there tomorrow braving the Houston weather. No matter your time, you are a winner. And of course, the race would not go on without the incredible volunteers, so thank y'all for sacrificing sleep and warmth to help and motivate those runners!