Pace Band

Operation: Blow My Life The Fuck Up will commence in about two days.

(One day, 16 hours, 11 minutes and 26 seconds)

(Not that anyone is counting)

Some people have pace bands when they run a marathon to keep them motivated to help stay on pace. I am going to create a food band. Twenty Six food items that I'm going to eat after the marathons. Not all at once. :)

1. Ice cream
2. Reeses Pieces
3. Caramels
4. "Gravel Gertie" donut
5. Nachos
6. Punch Pizza
7. Apple Crisp
8. Caramel Apple
9. Indian Food
10. Pumpkin pie
11. Homemade Bread with garlic butter
12. Puppy Chow
13. Chocolate Milk
14. Homemade Pasta
15. Rice Krispie Bars
16. Butternut Squash Lasagna
17. Candy Corn
18. Fried Ice Cream
19. Doritos
20. Sushi
21. Sweet Potato Fries
22. Brownie Batter
23. Margaritas
24. Onion Rings
25. Brie and Apples
26. Cookie Dough
26.2. One Starburst

(Marathon munchies. Who, me??)

I think it's safe to say that in November, Operation: Get Your Fat Ass Off The Couch And Lose The 20 Pounds You Gained will commence. :)

So

So Grandma's marathon is in two days.

So I guess I'm tapering.

So shouldn't I be having a little bit of taper madness? That's my thing. It's what I do.

But I'm not. I'm not going to PR, so I've allowed myself to just go with the flow and enjoy the ride.

Because marathons should be fun.

Running 26.2 miles is fun.

Blistered feet are fun.

Sore muscles are fun.

Right? RIGHT??

- - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - -

Sidenote: Steve is hosting a contest over at his blog. Go check it out - you can win some free shoes.

Over

It's Over.

The taper is complete.

The next time I run will the be the Whistlestop marathon.

I am staying calm.

I am relaxed.

Also? I AM LYING.

But I AM thinking positive thoughts.

I AM reminding myself that I put the miles in.

I AM telling myself that I can do this.

My last taper run went well. I started near race pace, picked up the pace, did some stride outs, and brought it back down to race pace.

I'm ready. I have to be ready.

I'm going to bust my ass at this race...I'm going to give it my all and leave it all on the course. I WILL PR. I WILL MAKE THIS MARATHON MY BITCH. Well, maybe not...but I'll scowl at it menacingly so it will be a little scared of me...

Every little thing gonna be all right

I just ran my last long run before the marathons.

Eight miles.

Eight relaxing, soothing, easy miles.

I decided to run the first 5 miles with my heart rate right around 165. I feel really comfortable at 165...like I could run forever. I told myself that didn't care if I was running 12-minute miles...I just wanted to run and to have it feel good.

The last 3 miles were going to be at or near race pace (9:44). I wanted to get a feel for how I should be feeling during the race.

It was a great run. I felt great. It felt easy. I was relaxed. I had Bob Marley's Three Little Birds stuck in my head. Don't worry about a thing. Cause every little thing gonna be all right.

I didn't check my pace for the first five miles - I knew if I was running 12-minute miles, I'd freak out. So when I download my splits from Carmen The Garmin, I was pleasantly surprised to see that I ran it at a reasonable pace. And the last three miles felt good. My average HR for the last three was 170. Still in Zone 1.

My race strategy is starting to build itself. I'm going to rise up that morning...and smile with the rising sun. Start the race slow and relaxed. Get into the groove. Keep my heart rate low. And when the course starts going downhill, pick up the pace.

And don't worry...about a thing.

10/4/08
Mile 1: 10:02
Mile 2: 10:28
Mile 3: 10:15
Mile 4: 10:20
Mile 5: 10:19
Mile 6: 9:46
Mile 7: 9:44
Mile 8: 9:41

Average pace: 10:04
Total time: 1:20:39
Average HR: 166

Three words to describe this run: Crisp, easy, relax!

Taper Madness

I've got it. The madness. And it is slowly chipping away at my sanity. And by "slowly chipping away" I mean "gouging out huge pieces with reckless abandon."

But here I am, 10 days before the Whistlestop marathon, and I am still not able to have a conversation about The Marathons that doesn't involve a heaping dose of TERROR and WHAT HAVE I DONE? Undo! Ctrl-Z!

So, yes. Taper + Multiple Marathons + Tired + Allison = Freaking The Fuck Out.

I distinctly remember the taper before Grandma's marathon and thinking "HEY! It's working! I feel light and springy and refreshed and energized and I Can't Wait To Run A Marathon!"

This taper? Is the red-headed step-child of tapers. My legs? Are tired. My body? Is tired. My mind? Also tired. I am nervous about my race pace.

And I'm nervous about my race pace.

And also? I'm nervous about my race pace.

I've had some pretty solid advice :) on where to channel all my pent-up energy during taper, but I still manage to funnel a lot of energy into Feeding The Crazy In My Brain.

Faaaaaaaak.

Can someone lend me some Zoloft?