Monday, January 26, 2009

Taper has Begun

Yesterday's 2 hour run with some long sustained hard intervals marked the end of the grind, and the beginning of a taper for me.

The goal race is the Texas Half 2 weeks from last Saturday, and the taper is welcomed. While the running volume hasn't picked up too much over the last few weeks, the intensity certainly has, and my legs are ready to recharge a bit.

I'm interested to see how they respond to a little rest. I've found that getting into my pace zones hasn't been quite as difficult over the last few weeks, and staying in them for sustained periods has become a bit more tolerable. What has lacked is spring in my step, and the ability to feel fast. I think that is going to come with some rest.

One exciting milestone for me is that my next run scheduled for tomorrow will put me over the 100 mile mark for the month of January. My biggest month ever prior to this month was in the high 80s, so I'm proud of that accomplishment.

Last week ended up being about 8 hours of training and 28 miles of running, and this week will be in the 6 hour range with maybe just 18ish miles of running. There is still going to be some intensity, but not as much grind. A couple of swims this week to keep the cardio in check, and a couple of easy bike rides too.

My goal is to improve on my performance at the San Antonio Rock'n Roll Half Marathon I did back in November. I think with a well executed race, I can do that. I have two weeks to come to terms with how much it is going to hurt, but won't need that much time and will be ready to suffer for a little under 2 hours come race day. It's gonna be good and pukey!

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