I've Been Afraid

Since the 18.12 Challenge on September 1, which taught me a lot of lessons but wasn't a terrific experience, I've been afraid to run. Almost every time I've gone out since has been torturous and frustrating to the point that I've basically stopped. The most times I've run in one week has been three and I haven't gone any longer than five miles (and that was only once).

All that to say:

1. The RW Half & Festival, where I will be running a 5k, 10k, and half marathon in two days, should be interesting. I'm already planning a repeat of the event for a Sub-30 Club meet-up in 2014. That, combined with my lack of training, means I'm really not planning to go all out for any of these races. In fact, I think I would be courting injury to push hard in any of the events. My current plan is to run the 5k with a 3:1::run:walk ratio, the 10k at 2:1, and the half at 1:1. I'll find some friends along the course and just have a good time taking in the sights and sounds. It hasn't been a habit at most races but I'm planning to take pictures along the way, too.
2. Once this weekend is over, I'm going to start over again with a Couch to 5k program + long-ish weekend runs. It's probably not necessary to step back that far but I think it will help my mental state to start at the beginning again. Reducing my running volume significantly will also help me feel more ready to add strength-training, cross-training, and flexibility back into my workout regimen. I'll be easing into those aspects of training, too, since I've basically taken a month and a half off.
   
3. I'm going to make another attempt to find a running partner or group with whom I can run consistently even if it's only on the weekends just to add a more face-to-face social aspect to this whole running endeavor.

Because I want running to make me look this happy again.