Wrapping up another week of training, the countdown seems to be ticking away faster and faster. I don’t know about you, but the tediousness of a long marathon training plan sometimes makes me feel like race day will never get here.
Now just 39 days away from my BQ attempt, I have to say that training is going about as well as I can expect it to. We had a nice break from the heat here in NC over the past five days which really helped. I got in some quality runs, mixing in a lot of downhill work along the way. I have to say, looking back at my training last Summer, I am certainly not putting in the miles this year like last year. Last year in July, I ran over 110 miles. This year like 83. I really think the difference being that I have run five marathons this year already, and my body is still sort of in recovery mode. Last year that wasn’t the case. I’ve been hampered more than I care to admit by hamstring issues. Yes, lingering issues. Looking back at some older blog posts, I mention my hamstrings hurting damn near nine months ago. I’ve been struggling with them, and I know it hampers my pace. Sometimes I just can’t get loose, or it takes me a few miles before I really can get up to speed on a run. I tell myself, just get over it, and run, but sometimes it just really is irritating, literally.
Enough about that. It is what it is. I will survive. I go on vacation at the end of this month, and I will get my rest then. I don’t plan on running at all while on vacation, so these next 25 days are really the final stretch of training. I plan on meaningful and impactful runs mostly revolving on the downhill work. I will try to get in two final long runs, but nothing over the top. I know I can do the distance, and I don’t want to injure myself in an attempt to “get the miles in”. I must arrive at August 30th feeling that I gave it my all. When I return from vacation, all I will do is some short maintenance runs in the five days leading up to my trip to Utah. I want my legs to be fresh, and ready to take that downhill marathon by storm.
So, with a vacation involved in the final stages of this training plan, I have a taper built in. What a great way to taper, too. I really need this vacation. The benefits a vacation will have on my mental game will help me too during the final stretch.
So, how is your training going? How many days until your big race? How do you like to taper?