Tapering

I’m in “taper” mode.  I’m running a Half Marathon in The Colorado Marathon in Ft. Collins on Sunday and this entire week is devoted to resting, sleeping, and generally getting geared up to run hard and fast for 13 miles.

An example of this week’s training:  yesterday I ran a total of 2 1/2 miles.  The first two miles were done at my goal half-marathon pace (about 7:15/mile), and then I did four 100- meter “Strides”, where you gradually accelerate to 90% of all-out pacing, hold for five seconds, and walk to recovery.  It was a fun little outing, all fifteen minutes of it.  How can anything that short feel like a good work-out?  The answer is: it’s not supposed to.

I looked up the race info again this morning and was not pleased to see that I have to be on a bus to the starting line at 5:30 in the morning.  The race doesn’t start until seven.  I didn’t remember that it started sooooo early when I registered!!  This means I’ll be up at 4:00 AM, and moving my butt out the door.  Definitely not a happy-happy.  Can you say “Coffee please”?

I have some pre-race nerves going on, as usual.  They all have to do with finding the right place and being where I’m supposed to be at the right time.  My good friend was supposed to run with me, but alas, the race was closed when she tried to register.  I was so excited to have a buddy to pace with, and am now trying for a Zen mentality to go with the reality that it’s all me, by my lonesome.  It’ll be what it is, whether I worry about it or not.

Saturday morning I’ll be doing a piddly little 3-miler, trying for a 9:00/mile pace.  Have to keep it “easy”, according to the training plan.  I’ll be headed up to Ft. Collins to get my race packet later that day, and then will head to bed un-Godly early to try to make up for the fact that I’ll be up too early for comfort.  Maybe I’ll try to start going to bed early for the rest of the week, and waking up early.  That would help switch my internal time clock so the effort of getting up at 4:00 AM will seem reasonable.

The next post will be on how the race went, so look for it early next week!