Taper Week and Race Goals

Since I haven't been sharing much about training for Sunday's half marathon, I thought it would be fun to share a little bit about that and my goals for race morning.

Headwaters run with the ladies.

Group selfie. Say CHEEEEESE!

Everything in training went perfectly. I still can't believe it! In just six short weeks, I went from being absolutely terrified of my goal pace in the first week to having to hold myself back a little in the final pace run. Training peaked with 50 miles, including these two speed workouts and a bunch of hilly trail miles.

3x1 (Goal: 6:49-:55), added 220yd repeats to work on form.

5 miles (Goal 7:25/mi.)

Every run flowed into the next and although I missed the dull ache of higher mileage, I felt good, strong, and confident.

Until Tuesday. I ran my final pace run and struggled much more than I should have for just two miles. That night, I went to bed with a sore throat. I woke up Wednesday morning trying to figure out if I had a full-blown cold or if the sudden shift in weather caused an allergy flareup. Either way, it's been awful.

Quick run while the Subaru got her first oil change.

In an effort to speed my recovery, I decided not to take cold medicine like I typically would. Sure, I'm suffering more, but it's a lot easier to get in some real rest when even a trip to the fridge is too much effort.  I spent all day Wednesday on the couch with Netflix and my knitting. I don't think I've been quite as dedicated to bonding with my couch cushions since chemotherapy.

It was my job to drink massive amounts of tea and water, nap, and shamelessly plow through twenty episodes of One Tree Hill, all in the name of recovery, of course. Thursday was more of the same. I have high hopes for Friday, too.

Every night this week, Matt and I have been relaxing with Emergen-C cocktails, indulging in aromatherapy foot soaks, and eating enough curry to burn the sickness right out of me.

My BFF this week.

I was feeling a lot better on Thursday, so I decided to try for a short run. Three miles at an easy pace. Matt did sprints, I focused on creating the perfect snot rocket. My pace matched my effort level, which was a pleasant surprise. My legs were fresh and springy. I wouldn't say the run felt good, but it didn't suck either.

As for the race, I'm not sure what is going to happen. I know I trained well. Even with a cold, I think I'm more prepared than I have been in the past.

Two years ago, I was recovering from salmonella and race day was literally the first day I didn't have to make a frantic search for the perfect bush. I ran a 3 minute PR and finished in 1:40:46.

Last year was a bit soon after my first BQ and I hadn't done anything but easy stuff. Ran my current PR of 1:39:04.

This year, I've got a cold. BUT this year's race is on my birthday. There has to be some magical juju associated with that, right?

Race goals:

1. HAPPY Birthday to me! Run at whatever pace is necessary to be challenged, yet have fun.

2. PR! I'm still holding out hope that my body will be willing come Sunday. For me, this means anything faster than 1:39:04. The paces I've been using for training are for a 7:25/mi, 1:37:25.