Little Illusions

Posts Tagged ‘racing’

Distance: 5.06k yesterday, 5.29k today (same route, go figure)

Time: 32:29 yesterday, 33:43 today

Due to scheduling stuff, I ended up going for both runs at about 3pm, so it was pretty warm out. And the West Bay Walkway has a lot less shade than I thought. The first kilometer is mostly shaded, the but once I pass Spinnaker’s, the shade is gone. I had to stop at the water fountains both times, but because I didn’t want to mess up my time, I tried to be as fast as possible, resulting in having to drink warm water. Ick.

Unfortunately, I think the run I’ll be missing this week is the long run. I’ve managed to sneak in these two quick runs, but I just don’t think I’ll be able to fit in the amount of time needed to do a 20k. I’ve realized that I’ve been making lots of excuses to not run, mostly it’s not the right time, but then I run out of time. If I want to run a marathon in October, I need to make the time. I need to get serious about getting in the runs, even if it means getting up early, running after a 12 hour day shift, or even fitting in a quick run between night shifts, if necessary. I tried to make a training schedule around my work schedule, but I think it opens up too many times to miss runs. I think I need to work around my training schedule, with only the long runs being moved to my days off.

What I need to remember when I think, I’m too tired to run, or it’s not a good time, is how good I feel after a run. I need to remind myself that every run doesn’t have to be fast, or hard. It just needs to be done. I know that I’ve used the excuse that I’m not at my best to put off a run, with the usual result that the run gets postponed for days or doesn’t get done at all. I don’t need to try to PR with every run.

Also, I haven’t done a race since the marathon. I’m considering doing a 10k in August, but I think I’m going to a movie and drinks the night before. It’ll be okay, as long as I don’t stay out too late or drink too much, I hope. Has anyone else out there run a race the morning after a night out? Any tips for not feeling like crap, besides don’t stay out too late and drink water?

Distance: 4.92k

Time: 33:05

Yesterday’s run was the first one where my right foot did not hurt at all. And it hasn’t hurt since. So, now I feel like I’ve finished my recovery, and back into training. I know that if I want to run the marathon faster, I have to run faster. I actually thought I was running faster with this one, and was a bit disappointed in my time. But, it was the first run since the marathon where I felt strong, so I know that’s at least as important as being fast.

Now that I no longer feel like I’m recovering, I have re-examined my training plan. I still like it, but I think I can increase the long runs more quickly that a first-timer, because I already have a good base. So, I bumped up the long runs, to get to the distances I did before more quickly, so I can spend more time with the higher mileage. I think this will help me be more used to these distances when the race comes, so that it’s not such a stretch. I also plan to use the shorter runs as “speed” runs, after a fashion. I want to keep this fun, and fun for me is not doing laps on a track. Instead, I think I will try setting a goal pace on my RunKeeper, for faster than my marathon pace. I also plan to continue to do races, although I’m not sure yet if I will get one in for July. The only race I know of is July 25, and I have to work a night that night. Also, I have 20k on the plan, and it’s only an 8k.

In the meantime, I need to find some good hilly areas. I have one good 8k route near my house, but I suspect that I’ll need some tougher hills before too long. Any suggestions?

Distance: 42.2k baby!

Time: 5:29:04 (official time)

Just a warning: this race was epic, and so is this post. It’s epically long. Feel free to grab a coffee or a snack before you settle down with this bad boy. Enjoy!

Before The Race

I woke up without the alarm at 5:50. I thought I had set it for 5:45, so I wondered why it didn’t go off. Turns out I had set it for 6:45. Oops! If I had slept until my alarm, I would have had 5 minutes to get ready and out the door to catch the shuttle bus to Tofino. There were later buses, but we were concerned about the later buses being full, so we opted to take one of the earlier ones. I woke Lil up, who also wondered why she her alarm hadn’t gone off. She had set hers for 6:50 (she told me she was last night, which might be why I set mine for 6:45). In any case, we were up on time, and had lots of time to get ready.

This paragraph is about breast pumping, so if that’s TMI, skip ahead. I brought my pump with me, and I’m honestly surprised at how I had to remind myself to pump during this trip. I think I got a plugged duct on the right side on Saturday, which made my breast hard and painful. I eventually fixed it, but I definitely didn’t want that to happen during the race! I spent some extra time this morning with the pumping, trying to make sure I emptied as much as possible. In fact, I spent a bit too much time, and ended up feeling a bit rushed just before we left.

Fortunately, I had laid out all my gear the night before, because I could definitely feel the nerves this morning. I had a cup of coffee and a bowl of oatmeal, which is my usual pre-race meal. Lil was bringing a bag with some stuff, so I added a couple bottles of Gatorade, my sunscreen, and my belt to the bag, complete with my Gu, lip balm, ID, Kleenex, and 4 emergency Advil. I also made sure I had my iPhone and armband/headphones with me (Can you guess what I forgot? The answer is coming up.). Because it was chilly and a bit foggy, I wore my running jacket, although I planned to check it before the race.

We left somewhere around 6:50, to catch the 7:00 bus at the museum. I drove the car to the main road, and parked across the street from the museum, where a few runners were already waiting. The bus turned onto the road just as I was locking up the car, and we made it by dashing across the road. There was plenty of room on the bus, and we found an empty bench. The shuttle buses were old school buses; it had been years since I was on one of those.

The bus ride was a bit strange, for a few reasons. First, we were both really starting to get nervous about the race. For me, until I was on that bus, the marathon was still something I was “going to do”; once I was heading to the start line, it became something I was “doing”. Second, Lil gets motion sickness, so she had to sit in the window seat, and I’m sure her trying to keep the nausea at bay was taking some concentration. Third, we were driving along the race route, only in reverse, so I was trying to note all the downhills (i.e. uphills during the race). I did remember to take a couple of pictures of us on the way.

Sooner than I thought, we arrived in Tofino, although it was really about 7:45. Neither of us was familiar with the area, so we followed the other racers to the start line. I drank nearly an entire bottle of Gatorade on the ride down, so I had to use the bathroom. We joked a bit with the other racers in the line, and then sat and waited for the race to begin. The sun had just begun to shine, making true the weather reports for a warm, sunny day, although at that time the air was still chilly and the wind was biting. As the sun brightened, I realized that I FORGOT MY SUNGLASSES. I was beside myself, especially as the sun got brighter and brighter. I couldn’t believe I forgot something so important! The only reason I could think of was that it wasn’t very bright out when we left the hotel. My one saving grace was that I wore my visor; it would keep the worst of the sun out of my eyes, although it still promised to be bright out.

I think we had a bit too much time to wait, which made us a bit antsy. This was my first marathon, but it was Lil’s first race. We chatted while we waited, and took some pictures. I put on sunscreen (at least I remembered that!), and we met another racer when he came over to borrow some sunscreen. He told us that he was running the race because he lost a poker game (he was supposed to do the Vancouver Sun Run, but it was on Mother’s Day – Awww!). His buddy was supposed to join him but never signed up. We also met Lil’s co-worker, who hitchhiked to the race because the car he borrowed broke down. He was an experienced long-distance runner, so we didn’t expect to see him during the race.

Eventually, we lined up for the race start, at the back of the pack. Once we got to the start, I was less nervous. I guess I felt like I reached the point of no return. It really felt like any other race. I don’t remember if a gun went off, or if someone yelled “start”, but we were off!

The Race

The first few kilometres were really easy. Lil and I decided earlier to chat for a while at the beginning, and then put on music when we needed to. I wasn’t using Runkeeper because my battery would not have lasted through the race; also, I think it needs 3G for the GPS to work properly and I didn’t have a signal for most of the race. Lil had her Garmin, and set it up so we’d know the time, pace, and distance. She didn’t wear her heart rate monitor. I was worried we would start too fast, because I always seem to, but we kept the pace around 7 minutes/km. The first 10k were on a cycling/foot path beside the highway, except for the part on Chesterman Beach. We were near the back of the pack, which I expected, but we weren’t last, so Lil was happy. We just cruised along, chatting about I don’t even remember what, just random stuff. It was still cool, but not cold, and my visor was keeping the sun out of my eyes.

At about the 5k mark, we crossed the highway and went to Chesterman Beach for about a km and a half. Just before we hit the beach, I had to stop at the portapotty (too much Gatorade!) and I was a bit annoyed to see people passing us. There were two people ahead of me and they seemed much slower than they probably were. Lil debated about whether she should pause the Garmin or not, since we weren’t moving. I think she decided not to, since the clock at the finish line was still going. By the time I got out of the portapotty, the pace cycle was waiting for us. We managed to catch up on the beach, though.

Chesterman Beach was, by far, the prettiest part of the course. The tide was out a fair bit, leaving hard packed beach to run on, which was nicer on the knees than pavement, but it was hard enough that you didn’t sink. The view was spectacular! The ocean waves, and nothing else on the horizon but ocean until it met the sky. I should have stopped to take a picture, but I didn’t, and Lil had checked her camera. We both commented on how great the view was, and how it was worth doing the race just to run on the beach.

Too soon, we were back on the road, only it wasn’t much further before the cycling path ended and we were running right on the road. We were facing traffic, but the shoulder was pretty narrow, so we couldn’t run two abreast for very long. It was at this time that we decided to turn our iPods on, but not too loud so we could still hear the traffic. Speaking of traffic, most of the cars going both ways either honked or whooped out their windows as they passed. It made the atmosphere more jovial, since spectators weren’t allowed on the course.

We ended up stopping at the next two portapotties along the course, as well. Lil had to use the second one, and I had to use the third. I probably should have used the second one with Lil, but when we got there I didn’t have to go. I did feel a bit ridiculous by the third stop, and I told myself that was the last potty stop for the rest of the race. And, surprisingly, it was, for me. I think the third stop was at about the 13k mark, and after that I ended up running a bit ahead of Lil. Only a few paces, but enough that we couldn’t easily talk to each other. It’s funny because I was asking Lil about time and pace a lot at the beginning, but once we separated I didn’t worry about any of that.

As the run progressed toward the 20k mark, I started pulling further and further ahead of Lil. I didn’t even know I was doing it, because I was listening to my music, and for a couple of songs, I must have paced myself with them. I just remember looking behind me every so often and Lil was right behind me, and then she wasn’t. I could still see her, but she was further back. I felt bad about leaving her behind because we were supposed to stick together, and I wanted to make sure she was okay, so I slowed to a walk a few times so she could catch up. I also waited for her at the water stations. She said she was getting sore, but she was okay.

Also at this point, I remembered seeing a hill on the elevation map that looked like a doozy. I think I was actually worried about this hill off and on until I got there. Once we reached it, just like most things that are dreaded in life, it wasn’t nearly as bad as I thought it would be. Hindsight being 20/20, this hill wasn’t even the worst one of the course. We just walked up the hill like we had planned, and kept going. I should also mention that until this point, I had probably run about 85-90% of the time, only really stopping at the water stations to have a drink, and we stopped for Gu breaks about every 45 minutes.

I distinctly remember passing the 23k mark of the course, because it meant I had gone further that I ever had before at once. I was pleasantly surprised that I was still feeling strong and pretty good. My hips were just the slightest bit sore, and my right arch was achy, but it was nothing I couldn’t push through easily.

As I passed the 26k marker, I was absolutely confident that I would finish the marathon. Up until then, I thought I would, but then I knew it. This was also the first point of the race when I started to pass other racers. Until then, I barely saw anyone else, and they were usually pretty far ahead. One of the differences between a larger race and a small one like this, I guess. I think around this point things started to get more difficult for Lil, though. As I had promised, I stopped at every water station and waited for her, but the waits became longer and longer. Just as we left the water station near the 29k mark, Lil commented that she had heard that the 25-32k zone was the hardest to get through. I was still okay, but I was getting more sore. I was starting to worry about Lil, though. Her mood had changed completely. I briefly tried to cheer her up, but I sensed I was just annoying her, so I stopped. When we started running again, we got separated, and when I looked behind me, I couldn’t see her.

At the final relay point, right around the 32k mark, I stopped again to wait for Lil. Just before this stop, we had to cross the road so we were going with the traffic, and I couldn’t see Lil. I was actually getting worried that something had happened to her, when I finally saw her. She was hurting, and she said she was pretty much going to have to walk the rest of the way, except for the downhills. I was also pretty sore, but it actually was less painful to run than to walk, and starting up running after a walk break was awful. I felt bad, because I wanted us to finish together, but Lil encouraged me to go ahead so I did. At least I would get to cheer for her at the finish line.

At this point there was only about 10k left of the course, and it was about 12:45 (we started at 8:30). I tried to psych myself up for the last leg by telling myself that it was only 10k left, and I run 10k all the time. It actually kind of worked, although my body still knew that even though I do 10k runs all the time, they’re never after doing 32k first! My whole body from the waist down at this point was sore, and my right arch was distractingly painful. I had also developed a large blister on the inside of my right big toe, and the only way I could land on it without wanting to cry was to “tuck” it on top of my second toe and land “just right” (in hindsight, this probably accounts for at least part of why my arch is still sore).

I knew that even with the pain, the hardest part of getting through this last stretch would be mental. I had to tell my body to ignore the pain. I was surprised that I wasn’t remotely out of breath at this point, and I didn’t feel tired, just sore. In fact, I was barely sweating anymore (not from dehydration; I stopped and had a Gatorade and water at just about every stop after the first one, and I had my belt with me). I ended up resorting to the same thing I did during the last 3k of the half marathon to help me get through. I started counting down the number of songs until the end, with an average of two songs per kilometre.

This last stretch felt almost as long as the rest of the race. Much of the first half had passed in a relative blur, but this last 10k was rough. The one nice part is that we were off the road again, on another cycling/foot path (I think another reason my arch got so sore was all the time running on the shoulder of the road, since all roads are on a slight angle from the centre line. The shoulder was too narrow to run off the road, so I was on a slight incline on the right side for over 20k.). The less nice part is that almost the entire rest of the route was hilly. I walked up most of the hills, but I’m pretty sure I ran all the downhills and straight parts until the end. There was one hill, around the 38k mark that made me want to cry. I couldn’t see the top of it, and I was so sore.

Around the 35k mark, one of the guys at the water stop said, “it’s all downhill from here!” I think he was joking, and I bet he thought he was funny, but by the 40k mark I wanted to punch him. At the 37k mark, the water stop was set up with a balloon arch and some kid had drawn chalk paths along the sidewalk. There was another kid blowing balloons, and I got choked up for a moment, thinking that I only had 5k to go. It hit me that I was actually going to finish this thing and the enormity of what I had already done got the best of me. I pulled myself together because I knew I couldn’t afford to lose it yet.

I finally got into Ucluelet at the 40k mark. With only 2k left, I decided to run the whole rest of the way, if I could. I was sore and just wanted to be done. I was also getting cranky for the first time the whole race. This last stretch was the worst because, in order to get in the last 2k, the course kept weaving through the neighbourhood. For the last kilometre, I kept seeing another turn and thinking, okay almost there, but there was just another turn, not the finish line. There was even one last water stop at the 41k mark, that I didn’t bother to stop at. I just wanted to stop running. Finally, around a corner and at the bottom of a hill was the finish line! The clock was reading 5:28:something and I wanted to make sure I got in before 5:30:00 so I sped up just enough to make it. Someone handed me a bottle of water and put my medal around my neck, and I cried a little. The announcer said my name, and for just a moment I felt like a rock star. I did it!

My elation was a bit subdued though because I wanted to wait for Lil to get in. I drank my water, forced myself to stretch, and walked up the hill a bit to wait. About 12 minutes later, she came down the hill. I mustered up enough strength to cheer for her as she approached the finish, and made my way towards the chute. Her time: 5:42:03. I wasn’t sure how emotional she would be after finishing, but she didn’t seem to be crying. At first she didn’t seem very happy, but I think she was just really sore. After we sat and rested for a few minutes, we were happier, and we took some pictures of our new bling!

 

After the Race

After we got back to the car (finally!) it was only a few minutes to drive back to the hotel. I originally was going to have an ice bath, like I usually do after long runs, but I was so cold from the wind, and from the race itself, that I thought an ice bath might push me over the edge to hypothermia. Plus, it was about an hour after the race, so I’m not sure it would have been very useful. Instead, I peeled off my sweaty, dusty running clothes and had a warm shower (not too hot). It was hard to get into the bathtub, since I was pretty sore already, and the tub sides were high. But once I had a shower, I felt much better; and I was starving! I ate the leftover pasta from the night before while Lil had a hot bath.

After Lil was out of the bath, we decided to look for dinner. We briefly considered going for Chinese (again) but then Lil suggested the Black Rock Resort, where the pre-race dinner had been. She worried that they wouldn’t let us in with our hoodies and her sweatpants, but they didn’t bat an eyelash; must have been all the runners in town. Anyway, the restaurant didn’t open until 5:30, so we sat in the lounge to have a drink and appies. We were the only ones there, so we sat at the window and marvelled at the view.

They had my favourite beer ever, Phillips Dark Chocolate Porter, so I had a pint of that, while Lil had a girly drink that I can’t remember the name of. It was pretty though! We also shared some goat cheese that came with fancy toast. It was really good, and paired well with the beer. Afterwards, we headed to the restaurant, and were the only ones there, too, at first. I wondered if all the racers had already headed home, or if they were all napping and would come out later. It was nice to have dinner in the relatively quiet restaurant, enjoying the view and our dinners. Lil got the chicken, and I got the beef tenderloin. I rarely eat anything steak-like, but this one was as good as it looked.

Because we had two pints of Haagen-Daz waiting at the hotel, we didn’t get dessert. Instead, we got into our jammies, lounged out on the sofa bed, and watched TV, while I had one of my little bottles of champagne to celebrate. I let Lil choose the program, so we ended up watching “Wipeout”, which was perfect because it required no thought at all. We both ate ice cream straight from the carton, and traded flavours when we had enough of the one. Lil was ready for bed by 8 pm, but I wasn’t quite sleepy yet. I laid in bed and Twittered for a while until my eyes were heavy and burning. I had no trouble sleeping that night!

Distance: 5.01k

Time: 32:32

Saturday was a good run. It was sunny and warm, and I felt good. It was pretty unremarkable, except for passing a grad dinner/dance that was at the Ocean Pointe. Interesting to see teens in formal wear, especially in my running gear. And my Oak Bay 1/2 marathon shirt is just a wee bit too short, so everyone out on the Walkway got to see my white belly. Oh well.

Sunday, I got to volunteer at the first ever Historic Half Marathon at Fort Rodd Hill park. My friend, Erika, was volunteering and asked for help via Facebook. It’s too close to the marathon for me to race, so I thought it would be fun to help out. She and her boyfriend picked me up at 6:40 am (on a Sunday!) and we drove to Fort Rodd Hill, although we took an inadvertent detour to Royal Roads University (oops!). We arrived just after 7 am, and reported to the volunteer organizer. We were asked to marshal at the bridge, at the 10k point of the loop.

Those that were doing the full would do the loop twice, and those doing the “1/2 of the 1/2″ were doing just one loop. We headed to the bridge, but realized it was only 7:30, so we decided to head back near the start of the race to see the racers. The race started late because that morning there had been a pretty major fire at Colwood Corners. Part of the course included a section of the Galloping Goose trail right behind the mall, so the organizers had to improvise a detour along Sooke Lake Road. What a headache to have to deal with in the first year!

We hung out in the parking lot to wait for the runners, and since we were there, we were asked to help direct them along the side of the lot, and to remind them that they were to follow the same path back to the finish. The hill between the start and the parking lot wasn’t too steep, but it was long, and from what I heard was a good indicator of how the course would be overall. It was fun to cheer on the runners and wish them luck as they were starting. Almost all of them were smiling and looked so fresh!

After the last of the racers left, we headed back to the bridge, just past the parking lot, and down a hill that I was happy I didn’t have to run up (twice). Then we waited, chatting together until we saw the runners approach and then we spread out along the bridge. It was cloudy and it drizzled before the race began, but then the rain held for a while. We only had to wait about half an hour for the first runner. He was killing it! He easily had the lead; in fact, the first three runners were a good space away from each other, and the third runner was far ahead of the rest of the pack.

I’m pretty sure that we weren’t there to direct the runners, since there is really no other route than over the bridge. Rather, I think we were there in case one of the participants went sour, since the next water station was at the top of the hill. I never go anywhere without my cell phone and I had a signal; fortunately, I didn’t need to use it. In any case, our job was really to cheer the participants on, which we did. I wasn’t sure what to say, so I just said, “good job!” Some runners said thanks for volunteering, some nodded, and some were super-focused. A couple of the runners even cracked a joke with us. I noticed that most of the participants were doing the 1/2, since they were wearing green bibs. Only a few were wearing the red bibs from the 1/2 of the 1/2. I looked for a couple of my Twitter friends, @briwifruit and @sea__breeze, but then realized I don’t really know what they look like.

Since there were only about 100 runners and walkers, there was never a large group coming by at once. Most runners were on their own, although there were a couple groups of 2 and 3. They were spaced out pretty well, too. After the first guy passed at around the 30 minute mark, we waited until around the 75 minute mark for the last runner, and the 90 minute mark for the last walkers. When it looked like most of the runners had passed, Erika, her boyfriend and I chatted some more. We commented on how I would hate to run a race like this and be lapped. Not long after, the first couple of runners on their second lap passed some of the run/walkers still on their first lap. In fact, I accidentally said to one participant, “you’re almost done” when, in fact, she was still on her first lap. Ooops!

Sometime during a lull, I remembered that my iPhone played music. I put on my running playlist, and turned the volume up. It helped the time pass more quickly, and it helped bring the energy up. I started dancing around and cheering and clapping on the runners. I hope I didn’t annoy them with my music, but I guess if I did, they didn’t have to listen to it for long. Not long after I started the music, it started to rain in earnest. It was good for the runners, because the fastest of them escaped it altogether, and all but the walkers only had to do the last bit in the rain. We had to wait until the last couple of walkers got to our station before we could head back to the finish line, though, and we were pretty damp by then. At least I wore my hat and running jacket so I wasn’t soaked.

We followed the last two walkers up the hill to the parking lot, and then met up with the volunteers at the water station and headed to the finish line. We were hoping for some coffee, but the food had already been packed up. We did get a finishing medal as a thank-you for helping out. I didn’t run, but I sure did earn it! We turned in our stylish reflective vests and went out for brunch.

Although I got a bit wet, I am glad I volunteered for this race. I got to experience the race “from the other side” and it gave me a whole new appreciation of those that volunteered so I could run. I felt like I got to give back a bit, and I got to hang out with one of my oldest friends. I would totally do it again, and I think all runners should volunteer at a race, at least once.

Distance: 9.91k

Time: 1:10:31

This was an insanely slow run. Only two splits were less than 7 minutes, and my slowest split was 7:29. I haven’t gone this slowly in months. I was also supposed to do 15-16k today, but I couldn’t push through. I just didn’t have it in me today.

This is only the second run since the 1/2 marathon, and it has been 5 days since my last run. I  got sick on Wednesday and Thursday, and then had to work Friday and Saturday. I felt optimistic when I started, but I started slow and couldn’t get into that zone where I’m just cruising along. It was a struggle, even going as slowly as I was. When I finished the first lap of the Walkway, I almost stopped right there. But, I managed to talk myself into doing another lap. I accepted that I was going to be slow, but I just wanted to get the distance in.

I guess these runs happen to everyone now and then, and I haven’t had one in a long while. It reminded me that not every run is going to be great, and that you have to listen to your body. I’m happy that I was able to push through to get 10k in, and that I didn’t let myself get discouraged by the slowness. Was it my best run? Not by a long shot. But it wasn’t my worst, either.

But now I’m left with a dilemma. I could try for another 15k run in a couple of days, if I’m not working. But then I still need to do my last long run of at least 30k, next week. If I make up this run later in the week, I should probably push the long distance run a bit, too. But then I’m pushing the long run into my two week taper period. Also, I’m a bit concerned about the fact that I haven’t run a distance greater than 22k at once, and I’m supposed to do 30+ in a week. Then, in three weeks, I’m supposed to do 42.2k. The marathon has gone from something in the distant future, to something that’s coming up pretty damn fast. I’m starting to worry about finishing it.

I’m no quitter and I’m pretty stubborn, so I’m still pretty sure that come hell or high water, I’ll finish the race. It might not be pretty, though. I was tired after the 1/2, but I was only a bit sore afterwards, and only for a couple of days. I’m concerned that I won’t get off so easy after the marathon. I know that lots of people get this panic at about this point, and are tempted like me to try to get in at least a couple more big runs. But I also know that it’s probably the worst thing I could do to myself, and is a virtual guarantee I’ll injure myself. So, I’m gonna try to be the voice of sanity, and if I can, do the 15-16k run in a couple of days, do the 30 within a week of that, and then taper.

I realized that this training is kind of like studying for a big exam. I used to be the do lots of studying right before the exam, sometimes with late nights; aka cramming. This training is more like what you should do, which is review the day’s stuff every class, then review  everything up to that point every week, gradually building on what you know. It’s hard to give in to my temptation to cram in a few extra long runs to know I can do the distance, but I know that the taper is important to rest my body for the race. Because unlike an exam where all the work is mental, the marathon will require me to be at my best both mentally and physically. Look at that; I’m all wise and stuff. Better go have a drink.