Saturday, May 23, 2009

And Now the Taper Begins

Really nice day for running. The temperature climbed to about 80 by the time I was done, and it sure would be nice to have shade somewhere in the vicinity, but otherwise can't complain. This was the 20-miler that I needed to get under my belt before the race in three weeks, and it went just fine. I kept the pace down a bit and, remembering my lessons from last week, took along a drink and gel pack for the first half. For the second half I picked up my fuel belt and kept hydrated. It's amazing what happens when you pay attention to what's happened before.

I also went without music, since the race doesn't allow headphones. I seem to have a mental block about running south of Hwy 152, so soon into my run I adjusted my route and kept it all on the north side. That worked out very well, and I even saw the wife when she was out walking/running. She ran with me for about a half mile, and that was a nice time in the first half of the run.

Now begins the taper for the race. I'm glad I was able to complete the 20-miler since that's pretty big for me mentally. If I'd only done 16 miles as my longest run I wouldn't feel as good going into these final three weeks. As it stands I can concentrate on speedwork and making sure my legs aren't tired come race day.

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