Running Week in Revieww - 13 miles and still feeling sluggish

I actually had a really solid week of training this last week,, running four times during the week and getting a strength training workout in as well. I was hoping to get more strength training workouts in, but, I was so sore from my Monday workout it took me all the way until Saturday to feel normal again. So this week, I will repeat the exact same workout as last week and see how much progress I make.

In regards to my running this week, I am still feeling slow and sluggish.  I am sure the extra weight I have put on in the last five months is not helping the situation and I really need to focus on my healthy eating this week as there are no excuses for not eating healthy. I feel my muscles haven't lost too much physically, but my cardiovascular system really hates me right now. I did see a very small pep in my step on Saturday's run, but not enough to feel I like I am in any sort of physical shape. I suspect in about a month or so, I will really start to turn the corner and the cardiovascular system will be my friend and my muscles will be my weakness. This will hopefully be my biggest focus during the next five months or so before marathon training really begins.  

I think I pretty much have made up my mind on what my racing schedule is going to look like next year, but, haven't officially etched it in stone yet. I am excited, however for the variety of races I will be doing, all in building up for marathon number eleven and possibly marathon twelve.

I really am wanting to run a spring and a fall marathon next year, but, have run all of the spring marathons here in the State of Utah already and due to having my goal of running every Boston Marathon qualifying marathon in the State of Utah, need to keep focused on running marathons I have never ran before (they need to stop adding marathons here though if I am ever going to achieve this goal ha). I am worried if I train for a spring and fall marathon, I will get burned out from training for a spring marathon, I have already ran, and not bother with a full marathon in the fall which I have never ran.

Anyways, I just need to keep plugging along and being patient. I have lots of time to get into marathon shape.