Day Nineteen: Distance Versus Time

The rest of week three went well and again I felt better about the run every day.  My pace was still lacking what I hope for, which hadn't really bothered me until today.

Today was the first day of week 4 of training.  For this week I started to track distance along with time and that added to my anxiety that since my pacing is so slow I probably have not been running the recommended distances.  Even as I carefully mapped out points at which I should walk and run per week four distance recommendations in order to keep up with the plan, keeping track of these points got hard, and I got too caught up in whether I was running the right amount.

I know, I know, I know.  This is all very silly and I shouldn't worry about it, but I really don't want to finish the c25k program and realize that I have only been running two miles the whole time.  I am a perfectionist.  It is very stressful and annoying, but when it is something like this, something where I have set a challenging goal for myself that I feel is very important to accomplish, I can't help be get wrapped up in doing everything right in order to reach that goal.

I should also add, it is also stressful that I have so much to do all the time and rarely can find time to run at all. This is a bigger problem since daylight is getting shorter and I don't exactly live in the safest place for a small woman to go running all on her onesies after dark or before light (who does these days?).

Someone please tell me that I don't need to worry about this crap.  Give me ways to avoid doing so.  Also, I am worried about training inside for the winter.  I will be on a flat track then.  Would my runner friends suggest that I try to push my distance more so that I can build up more stamina, keeping in mind that the half marathon will NOT be a flat track.  Or should I perhaps cross-train, doing the normal distances on the track and then maybe throwing in some elliptical or something?  I'm at a loss.  And I want to kick ass.  Help me kick more ass, please.