Let's Race The Race

Week 1 - Phase IV - Core Workout: REST
10/01/12 - 10/05/12 - Pre-race

My 50-state skirt with 7 stars (bottom-right corner) representing the conquered states... Utah will be my 8th state

I have had 9 tapering periods before and every one of them was happily welcome ... Not this one. Reason is that for all my previous marathons I trained 3 times a week, max 4, so I only needed to shorten the distance and continue with my 3 days for 3 more weeks. But for this training season I ran 8 times a week, so, I didn't need only to shorten the mileage but the quantity of runs. I needed to sleep in, I needed to take time off, I needed mentally not to think much about running. My routine changed dramatically. I stopped my running commute to/from work. I had too many "free" hours in my hands (and feet).

First week was crazy. I was indeed tired physically as I was coming from two hard HM races plus a 20-miler all in the same week. My legs were ready to rest but mentally I wasn't. I liked so much my routine, that to give up 3 running hours per day was going to be tough.

I didn't have a particular taper plan (or none at all), as the plan I was following was built by me for me. Following conventional wisdom and all marathon's plans available I should run the first week of taper between 70% to 80% of my mileage. If the % was based on the peaked mileage it would put me in 56-64 miles: too much; if based on the average mileage, it'd be around 48 miles: still too much. In addition my running partner (one of my running forces) was gallivanting with her husband in Hawaii, so being her away made me lazier than ever.

After investigating the science behind tapering I found some studies that revealed when we need to run our absolute best, we should put emphasis on high-intensity workouts and extremely low mileage. (I liked the "extremely low" part). One scientific study concluded that a drastic reduction in training volume (as high as 85%) decreased final race times plus had benefits in other areas (oxygen consumption). Also I followed various advices from runners (the advice we hear many times): Listen to your body, and Bart Yasso's: You can't taper too much.  


Week 3 - Phase IV - Core Workout: REST
09/17/12 - 09/23/12 -
Week Total:  23.3

I decided to go with those advices. I listened to my body and ran only twice, a 12-miler and an 11 miler. Easy.


Week 2 - Phase IV - Core Workout: REST
09/24/12 - 09/30/12 -
Week Total:  18.3

On week 2 I ran three times (running partner was back). One of my runs planned to be a high intensity 6x800, but mind and legs settled for fartlek (0.1 miles) at 6:40 pace ... I took it anyway.

And then, THE WEEK. This week... Week one... This one... Marathon Day week... Nerves, nerves, and more nerves. I went for an easy 3.1 miles with asthma on Tue 10/02... I may run another easy 3.1 today... (may). I took Thursday off. I'll fly tomorrow Friday. I'll run on Saturday. I'll fly back on Saturday afternoon. I will discern on Sunday.

I have studied my numbers, the profile, the pace according to the profile, formulas behind St. George. I feel like those horse racing studious people that review all the stats to improve their odds of winning.

I have very high goals... Very high. Two main goals are to conquer my 8th state, Utah, and to get me a pass to Boston for 2014, but I have more goals which I only have shared with my beautiful daughter. 

As always, I conclude what I have always concluded. Race day is race day, and that's the day where everything needs to be aligned to make the stats work. As my daughter told me: "Mom, with faith you can move mountains. With doubt you only create them."

I not only have faith, I have numbers to back up that I should do very well... should... but I must run first... Let's Race The Race.