Aside from barely running last week, this taper has been pretty uneventful. I'm calm and ready, just waiting for race day to arrive! I expected a lot more taper madness than this.
This week's focus is on rest, hydration, and nutrition.
Yesterday's run was a slog. This concerned me because I expected to feel energized and refreshed by now. In the past two weeks I've only run about 70km. So why did my legs feel so dead yesterday?
I sent a note to another runner whose opinions I respect (and who has a lot more experience and knowledge than I do!). Among other things, he said:
First understand that how you feel is 100% normal and not a sign something is wrong. Get lots of sleep this week, eat properly and trust your training. IMO the three week standard taper DOES allow you to run good races, almost as good as the very best taper, the problem is how it leaves you feeling. Toward the end of the week put your feet up as much as possible, until then you can run lightly: short, quickish fun stuff (favorite short trail run?). Your legs are there, they are just puzzled: they'll know what to do race morning!
Relax your mind a bit, and the body follows better too.
Good advice... and good to know that I'm not abnormal!
So here I sit with a giant bottle of water, trusting that my legs will know what to do on race morning!
In other news, I've lost about 7lb since February. Hopefully I can keep it off after the race, which I think is a good possibility since I plan to jump straight into marathon training!
Let's get this show on the road! :)
Monday, July 26, 2010
Monday, July 19, 2010
Random Taper Thoughts, Week 2
I always say that tapering is my favourite part of training... only because I get extra rest days (and I'm a slacker so I like rest days!). But really, it's not very fun. Cue mystery pains and issues, second-guessing my readiness, second-guessing the taper itself (why did I take 3 weeks?!), worrying about gaining weight, and obsessing about the race.
In the first week of taper I'd planned 45 miles and only did 32, but I'm ok with that because I still feel like I need a bit more rest. Yesterday's run was brutal; I felt exhausted, and everything hurt. That was only 10 miles.
I'm doing ok with the no junkfood thing, though I have cheated twice (so far it's the weekends that do me in!). I figure it's still a lot less than I normally have, so it's an improvement!
Then I read blogs of people like Anton Krupicka and I realize how much of a poser I really am! lol
From now until race day I don't really have a mileage plan, except I think I'll try to run every other day, and keep the distances short (nothing longer than 10 miles).
Oh, and I'm getting really excited about the race! I wish it could be this weekend instead of next weekend!
(Is it too early to start looking at weather forecasts?!)
In the first week of taper I'd planned 45 miles and only did 32, but I'm ok with that because I still feel like I need a bit more rest. Yesterday's run was brutal; I felt exhausted, and everything hurt. That was only 10 miles.
I'm doing ok with the no junkfood thing, though I have cheated twice (so far it's the weekends that do me in!). I figure it's still a lot less than I normally have, so it's an improvement!
Then I read blogs of people like Anton Krupicka and I realize how much of a poser I really am! lol
From now until race day I don't really have a mileage plan, except I think I'll try to run every other day, and keep the distances short (nothing longer than 10 miles).
Oh, and I'm getting really excited about the race! I wish it could be this weekend instead of next weekend!
(Is it too early to start looking at weather forecasts?!)
Wednesday, July 14, 2010
Monday, July 12, 2010
Courage and Light
Check out this ultra edition of Marathon Talk, a UK program. It includes a great interview with Scott Jurek and some helpful information and tips.
Immediately after listening to this, I of course had ultra running on my mind. A coworker brought up a cheesy quote that she had received in an email--something about finding courage and light in your heart. Another coworker pondered, "how does courage lead to finding light?"
I said, "I know!"
"How?" she asked.
"You have to run an ultra to get it," was my response. She is a runner who has said she will "never" run an ultra (never say never!), and last week we had been talking about the appeal of ultras and why I want to run them. So she laughed when she heard this answer. But for me this is really what ultra running is all about, that complex web of things that happen in an ultra: battling pain and fatigue, continuing on no matter what, discovering things about yourself that you did not realize before, finding your greatest physical and mental highs and lows (often within minutes of each other!), and then finally overcoming the course--and in the process, yourself--and then going on to do it all over again.
Obviously there are other ways in which courage is related to light, but this is the most potent for me at the moment, given that I'm tapering! lol In fact, the more I think about it, the more I'm convinced that courage and light are inseparable. But maybe that's just me. :)
Immediately after listening to this, I of course had ultra running on my mind. A coworker brought up a cheesy quote that she had received in an email--something about finding courage and light in your heart. Another coworker pondered, "how does courage lead to finding light?"
I said, "I know!"
"How?" she asked.
"You have to run an ultra to get it," was my response. She is a runner who has said she will "never" run an ultra (never say never!), and last week we had been talking about the appeal of ultras and why I want to run them. So she laughed when she heard this answer. But for me this is really what ultra running is all about, that complex web of things that happen in an ultra: battling pain and fatigue, continuing on no matter what, discovering things about yourself that you did not realize before, finding your greatest physical and mental highs and lows (often within minutes of each other!), and then finally overcoming the course--and in the process, yourself--and then going on to do it all over again.
Obviously there are other ways in which courage is related to light, but this is the most potent for me at the moment, given that I'm tapering! lol In fact, the more I think about it, the more I'm convinced that courage and light are inseparable. But maybe that's just me. :)
Thursday, July 8, 2010
At One with my Raptors
Well, that's it... my last big run before White River!
I headed out this morning after a solid 8-hour sleep (drug-assisted!). It was 18C at 7am when I started, and would rise to 27C by the time I was finished. I knew that was too hot for Sammy to be out all day, so I did the first 45 minutes with him and then took him home and grabbed my hydration pack, and headed out for the rest.
The run was awesome! I felt really good throughout, even to the end. The roughest part was around the 22-24 mile stretch, but then I got a second wind at around the 6 hour mark. It was still slow, but well ahead of the cut-off pace that I will need for the race. And I still had energy at the end; in fact, I felt as though I could keep going. At no point did I feel bad, and mentally I was happy and relaxed and strong.
If my race goes as well as today's run, I'm golden!
I did get a little sun-burned, but not too badly because the trails are pretty shaded.
And I finally made the 200-calories per hour goal that I've had all along.
Distance: 50km
Time: 7:31:43
Total Elevation Change: 14,700 feet
Water consumed: about 5L
Calories consumed: 1600
For the very first time, I actually feel ready.
My La Sportiva Raptors, post-run:
I headed out this morning after a solid 8-hour sleep (drug-assisted!). It was 18C at 7am when I started, and would rise to 27C by the time I was finished. I knew that was too hot for Sammy to be out all day, so I did the first 45 minutes with him and then took him home and grabbed my hydration pack, and headed out for the rest.
The run was awesome! I felt really good throughout, even to the end. The roughest part was around the 22-24 mile stretch, but then I got a second wind at around the 6 hour mark. It was still slow, but well ahead of the cut-off pace that I will need for the race. And I still had energy at the end; in fact, I felt as though I could keep going. At no point did I feel bad, and mentally I was happy and relaxed and strong.
If my race goes as well as today's run, I'm golden!
I did get a little sun-burned, but not too badly because the trails are pretty shaded.
And I finally made the 200-calories per hour goal that I've had all along.
Distance: 50km
Time: 7:31:43
Total Elevation Change: 14,700 feet
Water consumed: about 5L
Calories consumed: 1600
For the very first time, I actually feel ready.
My La Sportiva Raptors, post-run:
Monday, July 5, 2010
Last Big Week!
Today is the start of my last big training week, and I am aiming for 110km. I slacked last week (not on purpose--I was sabotaged by a crazy work schedule and no sleep!) so I am ready to get back on track this week. I have Thursday and Friday off of work and the weather is supposed to be hot, so I might as well finish with a bang!
The plan:
Monday - 10 miles
Tuesday - 10 miles
Wednesday - rest
Thursday - 31 miles
Friday - 10 miles
Saturday - rest
Sunday - 7 miles
After that, taper starts (though my first taper week won't be dramatic--I'm thinking 75km). My goals for this week are to stay fueled and hydrated, and get in that last big long run in the heat!
The plan:
Monday - 10 miles
Tuesday - 10 miles
Wednesday - rest
Thursday - 31 miles
Friday - 10 miles
Saturday - rest
Sunday - 7 miles
After that, taper starts (though my first taper week won't be dramatic--I'm thinking 75km). My goals for this week are to stay fueled and hydrated, and get in that last big long run in the heat!
Tuesday, June 29, 2010
Further Up and Further In
This month has been huge for milestones. I've seen my biggest week ever, my new biggest month ever, and my first 300km month.
And I'm feeling great. In fact, I don't think I've ever felt as good about my running as I do now.
Don't get me wrong--I've had my tired and sore days. But when I think about how far I've come and what I've accomplished over the past few months, I almost feel as though the training for this race is as significant to me as the race itself.
Thinking back to January: At the beginning of the month I wasn't even running; I was still getting over my injuries. I started running again in the second half of the month, pulling in a grand total of 26 miles for the entire month.
February: Feeling a little better, starting to run more frequently. 68 miles for the month. I remember being concerned about the nagging pains, issues of compensation, lower leg problems, etc. I remember wishing I could just run again without being afraid of re-injuring myself. I just wanted running to feel good again. I was out of shape and still had some leftover problems, and didn't know how much I could safely run without overdoing it. I was frustrated. And yet it was at this time that a friend put the idea in my head that maybe I could still do White River this year. My first response was, "are you insane? That's only 4 months away and I'm barely running!" But as I walked away from that conversation, the fire was kindled, and I thought, "well... maybe I could do it..."
March: I decided to use March as a test month. Could I safely increase my mileage to a good starting point to get me on track for White River? I designed an ambitious training plan and decided that there was only one way to find out. If I crashed and burned, I would do so early enough to revise my plans for the summer. But it was worth trying. So in March I ramped up the mileage (I never liked the 10% rule anyway!). 110 miles for the month might not seem like a lot, but it was a major increase. And I had no setbacks.
April: 170 miles. Again, huge increases in a short period of time. This was my highest month ever, and I hadn't even been near that since January 2007. Confidence was building, but I knew there was still lots of time for things to go wrong.
May: holding rather than increasing. I gave my body some time to adapt to the increases. I battled through some difficult runs and worked on my mental training. My first 100k week. Constantly hungry. Feeling good. 160 miles for the month.
June: starting to get tired, and starting to feel as though I'm ready to be done. I seem to vacillate from day to day. One day I feel exhausted and cranky and I'm not sure how I'll get through to taper, and the next day I feel awesome and confident. First 50k training run (pb!). New biggest week ever. New biggest month ever. First time past 300km in a month. Trying really hard to get enough sleep and enough food and water to keep me going.
And now here I am. I feel as though I've already climbed a huge mountain, and I'm really happy about how far I've come. I want to celebrate, but I will wait until the last big week is done! (Still scared of the race though!)
And I'm feeling great. In fact, I don't think I've ever felt as good about my running as I do now.
Don't get me wrong--I've had my tired and sore days. But when I think about how far I've come and what I've accomplished over the past few months, I almost feel as though the training for this race is as significant to me as the race itself.
Thinking back to January: At the beginning of the month I wasn't even running; I was still getting over my injuries. I started running again in the second half of the month, pulling in a grand total of 26 miles for the entire month.
February: Feeling a little better, starting to run more frequently. 68 miles for the month. I remember being concerned about the nagging pains, issues of compensation, lower leg problems, etc. I remember wishing I could just run again without being afraid of re-injuring myself. I just wanted running to feel good again. I was out of shape and still had some leftover problems, and didn't know how much I could safely run without overdoing it. I was frustrated. And yet it was at this time that a friend put the idea in my head that maybe I could still do White River this year. My first response was, "are you insane? That's only 4 months away and I'm barely running!" But as I walked away from that conversation, the fire was kindled, and I thought, "well... maybe I could do it..."
March: I decided to use March as a test month. Could I safely increase my mileage to a good starting point to get me on track for White River? I designed an ambitious training plan and decided that there was only one way to find out. If I crashed and burned, I would do so early enough to revise my plans for the summer. But it was worth trying. So in March I ramped up the mileage (I never liked the 10% rule anyway!). 110 miles for the month might not seem like a lot, but it was a major increase. And I had no setbacks.
April: 170 miles. Again, huge increases in a short period of time. This was my highest month ever, and I hadn't even been near that since January 2007. Confidence was building, but I knew there was still lots of time for things to go wrong.
May: holding rather than increasing. I gave my body some time to adapt to the increases. I battled through some difficult runs and worked on my mental training. My first 100k week. Constantly hungry. Feeling good. 160 miles for the month.
June: starting to get tired, and starting to feel as though I'm ready to be done. I seem to vacillate from day to day. One day I feel exhausted and cranky and I'm not sure how I'll get through to taper, and the next day I feel awesome and confident. First 50k training run (pb!). New biggest week ever. New biggest month ever. First time past 300km in a month. Trying really hard to get enough sleep and enough food and water to keep me going.
And now here I am. I feel as though I've already climbed a huge mountain, and I'm really happy about how far I've come. I want to celebrate, but I will wait until the last big week is done! (Still scared of the race though!)
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