And the Taper Begins!

We are a little less than three weeks away from the NYC marathon and I am officially in taper mode. Final long run complete, mileage decreasing, and workouts scaling back. It’s somewhat hard to believe! Even though this training cycle began in July, it feels like it was broken down into three stages instead of the ideal continuous build it should have been.

The first stage was July through the end of August as I continually got stronger and faster, feeling more and more confident in my interval workouts and tempo runs. The second stage was the recovery from my surprise surgery on August 31st which culminated with the FitOne half marathon on September 22nd. The third stage was my subsequent break and recovery from a head cold which essentially brought me to now. It has not been a perfect training cycle to say the least!

I’ve dealt with injuries and physical ailments during a training cycle before, like IT band tendinitis leading into Boston 2015, but this time it was non-running issues that set me back. I had to make some alternations to the training plan to accommodate and kept reminding myself it is the entire body of work—not individual workouts—that make a training cycle. I also stuck with my “listen to your body” mantra.

That meant deviating and not being able to follow the plan perfectly. I completed my longest run at 19 miles when the plan said 20-22. I am a few seconds slow on my interval splits from 800-1600. A few more hill repeats would have been nice. But, I made it to the taper physically healthy! At the beginning of September I was doubtful. After the surgery scare I am ultimately grateful!

The final three weeks look a little like this:

I’m pretty excited about being able to run a 5k on Saturday, it keeps things interesting! I prefer that to one more LSD 16-miler. Then, I’ll be attending a wedding in Phoenix for my final 8 miler. If anyone has recommendations for running in Phoenix, please share!

Sometimes the low volume and slow pace in the week leading up to the marathon make me antsy (thankful for those 400s) but I embrace the focused hydration and carb loading that come with it! I am so excited for all the food NYC has to offer. Jeremy and I will be flying to the East Coast on Friday and staying with our friend James in New Jersey that night. Then we’ll head into the city on Saturday for packet pick-up and to check into our hotel. James knows the city inside and out and has promised me some great pre-race Italian and post-race food including his favorite hole-in-the-wall Cuban and Big Gay Ice Cream! But more of that on the race recap, I’m getting ahead of myself (and drooling).

My Goal for November 4th

Back to the task at hand. My goal for the race—set back in January—is 3:15. I am not wavering from that goal. I’m not wavering because while I respect the difficulty of the NYC course and acknowledge my interrupted training cycle, I also believe in the power of the human spirit. When I was 21, I ran my second Cincinnati Flying Pig Marathon, two weeks before college graduation. I was under-trained, by any standard, with a long run of 13 miles and weekly volume of approximately 20-25 miles. I ran a 3:22 and a 7 minute PR driven by a powerful will to honor a fallen loved one. This time, I absolutely feel adequately trained and know that mental focus and will—and a little marathon magic—can lead to incredible outcomes. This time, I am also seeking a 7 minute PR.

I will also NOT be disappointed in myself if I don’t reach that goal. I want to enjoy New York City and embrace the experience—I want to take in the history and the crowd, finish in one piece, eat all the food, and spend time with my support duo after. If the 3:15 comes with it, that is icing on the cake. For now, I’ll keep that goal in mind and enjoy the taper over the next few weeks!