We ran our last long run this morning - 22 miles. Wow, in February I never thought I'd even run another half marathon let alone run 22 miles! We met at 5:00 again (which means a 4:00 wake up time for me!). The weather was chilly but good for running. It was weird knowing this was our last long run after 3 months of training. We still have some shorter runs, but after 22 they won't seem quite that hard...hopefully. The first 6.5 miles on the Swamp Rabbit Trail went by really quickly. We were talking and even forgot to eat any Gu...except for Justin but he didn't think to remind us and it was dark so we didn't notice (I think he was hoping it would help him beat me). :) We got to our first stop then and had a quick drink and Cliff Bar. The next leg wasn't so bad either. I knew better than to get too excited, though, because I felt great around mile 10 of our 20 mile run but was absolutely exhausted by the end. We stopped one more time around mile 12 before running a few more miles through Furman. It felt so good to leave Furman and know we had "just" 6.5 miles left! I felt my second or third or whatever wind I was on come on then. I actually felt surprisingly well that whole time. Don't get me wrong, it was really tough, but I wasn't dying and ready to quit like I was when we ran 20 a couple of weeks ago. I did keep wanting to ask Len "how much further?" as we got closer to downtown, but I really didn't want to know. He started looking at his watch more often and sped up a little bit, which to me means the end is near!! But I didn't realize how soon it would be. When he said "stop" I was so excited! It was earlier than expected - always a great feeling. So do any of you have ran a marathon before have any tips for me for these last three weeks? I'd love any ideas you have! I know these last weeks are important too!
Jake makes me laugh. I'm not sure why, but he looks to put things over his head and walk...and run into things.
He ran into the cabinet.
Peaking out this time to make sure he doesn't run into anything this time. :)
Now off to hang out with my family for my birthday!
Those are some priceless pictures! Kids are so funny sometimes.
ReplyDeleteI have no tips, but I know you're ready so you'll do great!
The taper was really tough for me. Expect to feel a little crazy. It's really hard to go from intense training to rest right before the race. I started worrying about every little ache, but in reality, your body is just repairing itself for what's to come. Sleep well, eat well, and trust the taper. The hard part is done. Get pumped to race!
ReplyDeleteGreat job getting through your long runs. Everyone starts to get edgy during tapering because you're used to running a lot more, but DON'T! I find that it's key to key myself busy for the last week or two so that I don't have time to think about it. Don't fall into the trap of adding tons of cross-training or doing all your final runs at a furious pace. Enjoy the rest as much as you can so you're fresh for the marathon.
ReplyDeleteCame over via SR. Awesome job with the long run! Cant wait to hear about it.
ReplyDeleteYay for your last long run!!! Enjoy the taper. I am one week ahead of you.
ReplyDeleteHave a happy taper!
ReplyDeleteAnd have a very happy Thanksgiving!
Hi Heather!
ReplyDeleteThe taper was tough for me too, as the others have mentioned. I was CRAZY.
A couple things-do get plenty of sleep. Drink lots of fluids (but not so much that you can't sleep like I did at first!). A few days before the race start drinking Gatorade to start building up your electrolytes. I wish I had started this process sooner than Friday-I was salty salty at the end of the run.
A good friend and veteran marathoner recommended I do a "dress rehearsal" the week before the race, ie go out to the track and wear all my gear that I'd be wearing race day. He suggested hitting the pace I was going for on the straight-aways and setting that feeling in my mind so I could call on it when I was tired, most likely towards the end. I did find this exercise helpful!If you have time, do it. If not, you'll still be great!
What else...relax and as the others have said, trust your training. You'll do great. Run your race.
Have fun!
Kelley