Sharks, San Fran, Goodfellas, and Chicago

Fall, work, teaching, is slowly approaching me. I even had to get up this morning (it was very difficult) and learn about the new Math books (CMP) we are getting. I actually really like them and again this almost, almost made me excited for the school year to begin, but I'm continuing to remind myself that it is still summer! I made myself go out tonight around 7 for a run. The first two miles were fantastic and fast and then I literally thought I was going to throw up. I walked for about five minutes and the rest of my run was even better than the beginning! I was enjoying it so much that I came home, grabbed water, pre-heated the oven for my salmon, and went back out for one last mile. I stayed close to home so if the oven caught the place on fire hopefully I'd smell it before it got too out of control. Probably not a great idea, but oh well. I logged 5 great miles. I am currently craving a runner's high. I am craving training. I am craving the excitement of a race. This brings me to my first of two dilemmas this week.

The extreme want of raceday excitement I think was caused by the fact that I spent my first few waking hours Sunday following my Twitter "friends" who ran the San Francisco Marathon. I was impressed that some people even took their phones and tweeted throughout the race. I do not think I am coordinated enough to multitask like that. Most ran the half but a few ran the full. San Francisco is a really cool half marathon. Unlike most, you can choose to do the first or second half. According to everyone who ran or has run the race, the first half is harder and hillier, but it allows you to run over the Golden Gate Bridge. (I once biked across it, but that's a whole other story of me being a bratty high schooler and falling off my bike.) When we visited San Francisco the day after the Big Sur Marathon it made me really, really want to run in San Francisco.  I've always thought I would only be up for the half because of the intense hills, but now I wonder, could I do the full? The shirts this year had the marathon's slogan, "Worth the Hurt." Something like that just makes me want to run the race even more! So, here's the dilemma... With the lottery process of the New York Marathon, I am guaranteed in the race Fall of 2013. I guess there's a chance I could get in for 2012 but I'm assuming that chance is slim to none. I really want to do another full before, preferably Fall of 2012.  I am already registered for the half marathon on Thanksgiving in Atlanta as well as another half in Atlanta in March of 2012. I have been thinking and pretty much decided to do the Chicago Marathon. Chicago is such an amazing town and an extra plus is that my mom and dad said they would even consider doing the half there! (They've each done one half and I think it was just mom who said she'd do Chicago but I'm pretty sure I could convince both of them :-)  I would love a flat, fast course after the hills I constantly experience in Atlanta and Charlotte. I know it would improve my time by a significant amount. But then there's San Francisco! Would it be good, safe, healthy for me to run the half in San Francisco next July before Chicago? Should I suck it up and go for the full? If I did the full would I be recovered enough to do Chicago? Probably most importantly can I afford all this? I've accepted the fact that it would be smart and of course fun for all of the trips I take in the future to be planned around a race. Should I hold off San Fran for the summer before New York? But then I want to do the full in Big Sur for sure, so I've got to get that in too. Is it outrageous for me to have races planned out for the next three or four years of my life? I guess the wonderful thing about running is that you never get too old for it. Yes, I know I'm not old, but I suspect for the rest of my life I will be planning races like this in advance. So any suggestions or recommendations are more than helpful here.

There's no good way to connect the first dilemma to the second so here it goes: Shark Week or Mob Week?? Discovery or AMC? Last night I chose Shark Week and learned that coastal GA is actually home to Great Whites. The good news is that it's during the winter months, and though I visit St. Simons Island (GA coast)  then, I do not get in the water. I was surprised when I woke up this morning that I didn't have dreams/nightmares about sharks. So my other choice is the less popular Mob Week. One of my favorite movies of all time is Goodfellas. Some may find this shocking but I absolutely love it. I enjoy the Godfather movies, Casino, and others too. So which do I choose?

They both involve blood, making them equally as creepy before bed. They both get my adrenaline going thus probably do not help me fall asleep. Currently the fellows on Shark Week have Australian accents while those in Godfather are strongly Italian... As screams echo through the Godfather's mansion I am reminded that it's after midnight now and I need to go to bed. I guess this dilemma can be faced again tomorrow evening.