silly thoughts?

Recovery from my wilting performance last Saturday has been slow – no workouts since. The cool temps this morning though, has me wishing Mohican Trail had this weather & that the event was scheduled for next week -- unfortunately the race starts this Saturday. For some reason, I can’t seem to get away from my thoughts of entering! As of today, normal weather is expected for the event with a forecast of upper 70's for Saturday. High temps/humidity is a main concern & always a deciding factor with my heat intolerance. Of course, being properly prepared is the other big concern. So I ask myself these questions:

Would I still have thoughts of starting if the expected high temps are changed to the low 80's? No, temps are already borderline.

Should I be concerned about the late entry fee? No, trail running is what I like to do and cost doesn’t determine whether I race or not at anytime.

Would I be "embarrassed" if I had a poor showing, like a DNF? No, my DFL last race didn’t hurt & I can handle it anyway, it's not like it hasn't happened before.

Wouldn’t it be better to wait till next year? Yes & no, I could train & taper properly next year, but then again I could be fully prepared at that time & find out in the last week that temps would be in the 80’s & then out of the question. The temps could be above normal the next several years -- who knows – I’m not that lucky anyway.

Should I consider pacing someone instead? Yes, I have looked into that option but I have no experience and I’m not familiar with the course or the race event area. According to the website, the pacing would have to start at night – I would have no idea where I was. I would like to try it one day, but I don’t think now is the time.

Would I benefit from running the course & gaining familiarity for future attempts? Yes, even though training runs would accomplish the same thing, I enjoy the race day experience.

Have I talked myself into starting? Maybe.