Reality Check or Cop Out?

I am really looking forward to all my running plans next year. I've really picked up the running and been doing it consistently and built a good base since August and now I've signed up for a 24-hour race in Philly in July and I'm planning on signing up for my first 50 miler race in Key West in May.

After my 10k PR last weekend, I was feeling a little burned out. I trained really hard for it and exceeded my expectations but when I finished I was so tired and sore and put down by the fact that my best hardly even makes it to average.

After a week of dealing with sore shins, knees, feet, Achilles tendon (that always scares me the most) and a new thing for me, sore hips (although I suspect that's not from running but rather from carrying 32 pounds of E-man all over this city), I started thinking that maybe this goal of running 50 miles is a little far-fetched.

There are two reasons that I'm thinking this.

1) Will my body hold up?

If I'm falling apart during 10 mile runs, how in the world will I get through 50 mile runs? Now I've run 26.2, even 30 miles, but I did it real slow and with many walk breaks.

Now I'm starting to wonder, is my body made for real running?

2) Where will I find the time to train?

I'm a working mom of a toddler. I work about 30-40 hours per week. On top of that my toddler keeps me quite occupied. He has a lot of energy and likes for us to do things together so it's really hard to fit in 30-40 hours of work per week alone (not including housework, etc.) while taking care of him.

Gym time is actually really good for both of us, but we have a 2 hour limit.

This morning I found a temporary solution to problem one, I had a great run.

I don't know if it was the accidental day of rest I got yesterday or if I just run better in the morning, or if the freezing, damp temperatures acted like an ice bath during the 10 minute walk to and from the train station or maybe it was the compression socks I was wearing.

It could be that I just have my best workouts to Johnny Cash. Whatever it was, I had a great run this morning and boy did I need that!

After this morning I told myself there was no reason to question whether I could do this, I should just give it everything I have and as long as my legs are working, I'll keep running.

But problem #2 keeps popping up. If I can barely find the time to fit in 8 miles of running, what will I do when I have to run 20 miles two days in a row? Am I insane?

Running makes me a better person, but do I need 50 miles of it to be a better person?

At what point do I cross over from running to be a better, healthier, saner person and become obsessed with running?