I moped off to bed shortly after my second post. Thank you SO much for all the replies.

Docket- thank you! I read your posts and all the struggles you have with asthma, it really is an inspiration to me seeing your drive to push through.

Kiwi- thanks for your reply. I know it's a case of "suck it up, buttercup", I just knew I could complain here and people might understand.

Jneilt- that day I had toast and coffee several hours before the race. I had half a piece of yam bread before we started heading down, and a couple of McDonalds chips on the drive down. I'm thinking the chips were a mistake, I very rarely eat fast food.

MJ5- I am slowly working on losing weight. Even with the 30lbs I've lost, I still have 54lbs to lose before I have a BMI that is considered "normal". My goal is 15lbs above that though, as that is a good weight for me. Before my first 5K, I was running around 12 miles a week. Out of the 5 months I have been running, I have only ran outside (not including the 5K's) 6 times. I am going to try to get more consistent with my running, and more outdoor runs.

Meaghan- I really didn't think I needed to give myself too long to recover, as I'm not very fast at all. I should've given myself longer between races, I just made a mistake and jumped at the chance. There is nothing I can run in December or January, so I will be forced to lay low and focus on running for me.

Thank you for sharing your journey. I do need to focus on the grand scheme of things. Congrats on all your goals that you have met this year!

Blue Runner- Usually I run 4 times a week, mostly on the treadmill. My long run on the treadmill was 3.5 miles. My treadmill isn't working properly right now (belt slipping). I try to get outside once a week.

Di- Thanks for your reply! I think I will mope for the weekend. I have been really good about taking it slowly and being happy with my own small improvements, I just went off the deep end last night. I love reading your RR's, and congratulations on your improvements

Awood- Me and my partner talked a lot about the cheating on the way home, he pretty much said what you said too. My conscience is clear, the longest race of my life was the correct length, lol.

I admit, I do find it very hard to find time to run. My partner is a Safety and Compliance Officer for an ambulance company. He is on call 24/7 and has just got back from nearly 2 months of disaster relief. I have two kids, so that limits my running. Closest and only other family member is 35 miles away. I do drive down once a week so she can watch the kids while I run, but she also works two jobs so I constantly feel selfish like I am imposing on her. The road we live on is a country road, and I do worry a bit about being run over. I'm definitely going to invest in a kind of light rather than carrying a flashlight.

My legs are holding me back. I'm sure it's tough on the poor things with my weight pounding down on them. My breathing and heart rate are always good, my muscles haven't caught up yet though.

Just- Thank you for the quotes. I really like them. I'm usually not one to compare myself to other people, though I do sometimes wonder what I'm doing wrong when people running the same time as me, are training for half marathons, haha. Thank you for the reality check too. 5 months is nothing!

Andrea- Congratulations on your weight loss, that is amazing! I still have about 40lbs to lose to get to where I want to be. I need to find more time to run. I could run before my partner leaves for work, but I am so far removed from being a morning person, it's terrible.

LRB- this is pretty much the racing on season for me. The summer is too hot. Even the spring and autumn are too hot for me, lol. Last night I signed up for a Race for the Cure 5K in March, and I have a Color Run in February. I will focus on them. I'm not sure if I will be able to do the March one depending what happens with surgery, but I wouldn't begrudge the donation anyway. Thank you for your reply!