The good, the bad, and the question on my mind

One week out from my half marathon and how am I doing? I've got good news, bad news, and a big ol' question in the back of my mind.

We'll start with the good news...

Last week I had two GREAT 4-mile runs! This is the same hilly route I struggled through about 7 months ago. I think at my worst, it took me about 56 minutes to run. On Tuesday, I ran it in 45:30 and yesterday, 43:30! Again, this is a VERY hilly run. My pedometer read 4.20 when I stopped, so who knows...my time might have been better than I thought!

I feel so very strong on these shorter distances now. I can say running is truly fun again for me. I was also pleased that I didn't experience any hip or knee issues during yesterday's run.

Now the not so good news...

It appears I've put back on about 4-5 pounds. Sort of a bummer since I worked so hard. It's time to clean up my diet and get back on track. I'm still under 150 and I can still wear my size 8's, but I don't want to lose any more ground.

I'm actually headed to NYC in a month for BlogHer and I want to look and feel my best. I plan on working pretty hard this month and hope to dig in and lose a few more good pounds.

And the question...

This might come as a shock since this blog is all about marathoning, but I'm having serious doubts about wanting to run the Portland Marathon this year.

Here's the thing...while I completed the half marathon last week, I can't say that it was entirely fun. I had my slowest finishing time EVER and ended up having to walk a considerable portion due to hip and knee pain.

Go back to March...I ran my first 5K in a decade and hit a PR! I had fun...it was short so I could really push myself. This week's 4-mile runs were also fun for me for the similar reason.

I'm wondering if it's time I shift from long distance (which I've already proven I can do) to learning how to become a better, faster runner (something I've never entirely focused on).

I want working out and running to remain fun and interesting and quite honestly, I'm having second thoughts on this marathon.

What do you all think I should do? I need to make a decision pretty quickly....

Thoughts??