Monday Musings: Goodbye Summer, Hello Race Week!

September.  Here we are.  Summer flew by and despite the less than stellar weather, I have to say, it was a good one.  I felt I had a really good balance of fun and work.   Yes, there was some stressing about getting some training done but for the most part, I managed to get things done.  Training never felt like a grind.  These last couple of weeks, I did kinda wish I was done racing but that was just because I didn't want to get up at stupid o'clock to do a workout, ha ha.  Yes, I know I have a flexible schedule but I swim with a club and ride with a club and both of them workout in the wee hours of the morning.  So, I drag my butt outta bed and do the work.

If you follow me on Instagram and have watched my stories this past week, you will have seen me allude to some exciting things coming.  Both of them are still in the works, but I should be able to fill you in on one of them after Lake Placid.   The other one may take a bit longer.   That's all I'm going to say about that for now.  :)

This is the first week I've started to feel excited for Lake Placid.  This past month it was just some race in September that I was training for.  But now, I'm really starting to get pumped.  I know what racing in Lake Placid is like.  You finish on the Olympic Oval.  I mean seriously, how awesome is that???  It really is an amazing place to race so I have high expectations for this event.  I've been watching the weather the last few days and right now, it looks like race day is going to be amazing.  The days leading up to it, not so much.  It is going to be cold and rainy so here's hoping that Mirror Lake doesn't get TOO cold.   It was cold and windy this past weekend in Toronto so I got the opportunity to test out some layers for race day.  I definitely think I'm going to need armwarmers and a vest and I'll have to put socks on for the bike, which I don't normally do.  My feet were freezing as were my hands so it took me a while to get my socks on.  I may have to re-think my sock choice for race day.  By 40 minutes into the ride I felt much better - I was actually kinda warm so we'll see.   I know I'm going to be bringing all the layers because you can't control the weather, but you CAN prepare for it.

I've been thinking a lot about what I want my off season to look like.  I am toying with the idea of running the Hamilton Half marathon but part of me wants to take things to the trails and slow things down.  I also want to work on refining my running form and realistically I know I can't do that and train for a race.  So we'll see.  I know I will also be spending a lot of time in the pool doing drills.  I really need to improve my feel for the water.  I will also be bringing strength training back into my life, but not in the way I'm used to.  That's a post for another day.  I do know that I'll be giving myself the month of September, post L.P. to just do whatever I feel like.  There won't be much in the way of structure.  I think that is such a necessary thing at the end of one's season.  The key is to not let that lack of structure turn into skipping all the workouts so you loose all the fitness you've so hard at building.  Successful athletes give themselves a set period of either time off or easy training and when that time is up, they get back to structured training.  Why?  Because consistency is what yields results.   I could go on but for now I'll step down from my coach soap box and get on to what went down this week.

Monday:  OFF

Tuesday:  Double ride day:  29.5km with MGCC in the a.m and 23.9km with the TTC crew in the p.m.

Wednesday:  2500m swim, followed by a Total Body conditioning class <---stupidest thing I've done during taper but, it needed to be done.  I was sore for 3 days after that course.  My hamstrings are STILL feeling it today.

Thursday:  Skipped my morning run and ride and opted to ride in the p.m with G.   23.3km done

Friday:  2000m swim.  This was a tough set.

Saturday:  1300m open water swim, 40km bike, 4km run.

Sunday: 11.8km run

Swim:  5804m
Bike:  118km
Run:  16.1km

Total time:  8h 34 minutes

I'm feeling pretty good.  I do need a massage but that will be happening later.  I've been geeking out over my Training Peaks data this past week, comparing it to my data pre-Tremblant.  The numbers tell me that my fitness has improved and I'm looking to be in pretty much the exact spot I need to be to have a good race.  I will make sure I get enough sleep and eat well this week and I should be good to go!

Now I'm off to enjoy the Holiday Monday and the rest of my taper.

How was your summer?  Are you done racing or are you planning any fall races?

The Countdown Is ON! #Mingsanity Week 14

Holy Smokes.  This time next week I will be toeing the line in Hopkinton.  I'm starting to FREAK OUT with excitement but I'm sure I will quickly forget about that once my week gets underway.  Last week was crazy busy and this week looks to be much of the same.  I've got two back to back 13 hour shoot days, the last one being the day before we leave for Boston.

Awesome.

Needless to say I spent Sunday making a list and packing as much of my stuff as possible.  Unfortunately I will have to finish packing on Thursday night when I get home, probably around 10:00 pm, because we're going to hit the road around 5:00 am on Friday.   Good thing I can sleep in the car. 

Last week was my first week of taper so my volume decreased quite a bit.  It was all about easy workouts and rest, rest and more rest.  This week, the goal is much of the same.  I've already written off my Thursday morning run and potentially my Wednesday morning swim due to work.  Before I start getting into this week, let's look at my last week of training.  As usual, I'm linking up with the Bestfoot ladies, Krysten, Amanda and Erica to recap my week of training.

Monday:  2400m swim

Tuesday: Hilly 10km run + body weight workout.  Had an optional bike workout but got home from work late so I skipped it.

Wednesday: 2050m swim

Thursday:  easy 10km in a.m. with my friend David, testing out the Wave Rider 17's.  40 minute ride in P.M (was supposed to be an hour but I was hungry and bored so I got off early.

Friday:  OFF

Saturday:  Last long run!  17km in the books followed by a quick body weight workout, followed by a massage.  Yes!

Sunday:  Skipped our swim because we were out late.  60 minutes on the trainer. 

Totals:

Swim:  4450m
Bike:  46.39km
Run:  38.64km

Total time:  6h 42 minutes. I suspect that this week's hourly total will probably be similar or a wee bit less.  After Boston I'll be lucky if I see another week like this for a while, ha ha.

How was your week of training?  Who has a big race coming up?

Surviving Tapermadness Without Losing Your Mind and Your Friends

It's prime time in the fall racing season and you know what that means?

TAPER TIME is probably upon most of you folks that have fall races.  If it's not here now, it will be soon.  

Tapering for a half marathon or marathon can be a tough thing to deal with, especially if it's your first.  You've gotten so used to your training routine that when it changes and your volume decreases, you don't really know what to do with yourself.  You may find you start to experience the following symptoms:

You get antsy.
You feel like a sack of hammers.
You're always tired.
You question your training.
Things start to hurt.
You start to get irritated.

Welcome to tapermadness friends.  Don't worry, you're not alone.

I find the whole taper thing to be an incredibly ironic catch 22.  You slog through your weeks of training, and towards the end of it, you just can't wait for the training to end.  Week one of the taper arrives and and for the first few days, you're happy it's here.  You're enjoying the decrease in mileage.  Week two rolls around and you start to feel tired.  All you want to do is sleep, you're dragging your ass and you can't seem to get enough food down your gullet.  By the end of week two you're questioning your training and your health.  Did I do enough?  Did I do too much?  Is my throat sore?  I've got a sniffle, I'm getting sick....get me the Cold FX, STAT!  My knees hurt.  Oh my.  Week three rolls around and you start to get antsy.  Your workouts have been scaled back a lot.  Your energy level is starting to climb and you aren't able to go and burn it off because you need to be resting.  The excess energy turns into irritation and you start to get cranky.  Your loved ones scatter when you enter the room.  Even the dog doesn't want to be near you.  All you want to do is get out and race. 

I'll let you in on a little secret.....everyone around you is also ready for you to just get out and race.

Sometimes I think that tapering can be harder on those we love than it is for us runners.  I've been known to drive G more than a little crazy obsessing about every minor detail during the week leading up to the race.  I've seen his eyes glaze over when I start to ramble on about some random body part that hurts or what the race day weather looks like.  If you've been racing as long as I have, your significant other has probably developed their own coping strategy in dealing with your temporary insanity.  I think G has it down to an art.  I have gotten better over the years but I still find the last week leading up to the race to be the most difficult for me and probably for him as well. 

I'm planning on changing that this time around with these few simple strategies. 

Frankie Says.....RELAX:  Yes, I completely dated myself with that one.  If you don't get the reference, Google it.  I know that relaxing during a taper is much easier said than done but look at it as down time to catch up on other things.  Like that book you keep trying to read before you go to bed but as soon as you read the first few lines, you're already asleep.   Or that movie you've been meaning to watch but as soon as you sprawl out on the couch and get comfy, you can't keep your eyes open.   Forced down time can be a good thing and we should learn to embrace it and appreciate it.  Without it, your body won't be able to perform at it's best. 

Channel the Energy:  If you start to feel antsy, channel that energy into doing something productive.  Something that you might have been putting off during your training, like cleaning the basement or purging your closet.  Not only will you feel a sense of accomplishment, you'll score bonus points with your significant other.  And you'll probably make some room for a few new pairs of shoes.  Win / win. 

Socialize:  It sounds so simple right?  I don't know about you but when I'm training, sometimes the last thing I want to do is go out.  Other than the socializing I do with my training partners and run group, I don't see my non-training friends that much during race season.  Use the extra time to catch up with your friends and family.  Go out and do something fun.  Or go and do something nice for your significant other to say thank you for their support.  

Channel that energy into something productive,  try to relax and enjoy the down time and before you know it, race day will be here and you will have survived your taper with your sanity and your relationships intact.

Have you got any other tips for surviving a taper?

Look Out Beantown, Here I Come!

This will probably be my last post until after Boston, but you can bet that I'll be tweeting and posting on Facebook and Instagram over the next few days.

I've been thinking about obsessing about my race day plan for the last few days now.  I've been trying to familiarize myself with the course profile because I can honestly say I don't remember much from the last time I did it.  I remember the steep downhill at the start and I remember cresting Heartbreak Hill but I don't remember the four rollers that happen between miles 16-20.  I must have blocked them from my mind completely, ha ha.

Yeah, it doesn't look that bad all stretched out like this but looks can be deceiving.  I do remember my quads being completely shredded by the time I hit the 15km mark.  Not a pleasant feeling when you're barely half way through a marathon.

This time around things are going to be different.  For one, I have 10 more years of experience under my belt.  Secondly, I'm mentally a lot tougher than I used to be.  When things start to hurt, as I know they will, I won't get down on myself and I won't slow down.  I'll work through the hurt.  Obviously I want to hurt to stay away for as long as possible so that's where my pacing plan will come in.

My goal is to go sub 3:20.  I'm not sure how possible that will be given that my legs are still not 100%.  I'd say they are still at about 85%.  I ran this morning and my left leg still had some nerve pinching going on.  I'm hoping with some tennis ball rolling and anti inflammatories that I get to 95% by race day.  To go sub 3:20 I need to run 4:44 km's (7:37 miles) at the very least.  I ran that pace on my long run last weekend and it felt easy despite the less than ideal condition of my legs so that's a good thing.  The first 500 m from the start line is a pretty steep drop which evens out a bit and then continues to drop for the next 3.5 miles so it's easy to get carried away.  My plan is to hold myself back slightly for those first 4 downhill miles.  If I'm running a bit slower than goal pace, I'm ok with that.  Once the course starts to even out, my goal is to settle into my marathon pace.  I don't plan on trying to negative split this race, my goal is to run it consistently.  If I have a slight positive split, that's ok.  My biggest concern is that I will get caught up in the starting rush of adrenaline and go out too hard for the few first km and shred my quads.  If I can manage to run a fairly consistent pace that feels comfortable for the first half, then my hope is that I might actually have a bit left in the tank to pick up the pace once I get out of the Newton Hills.  And that will all depend on how my legs feel race morning.  Only time will tell. 

I obviously really did a number on them at Around the Bay but, as I said before, I don't have any regrets.  Especially now because when I came home last night, I had some mail from the folks at Around the Bay.  I thought maybe I got a finishers certificate since I was in the top 5 in my age group.  I opened up the envelope to find this:

I couldn't believe it.  2nd place??  How the hell did THAT happen?  When you look online I'm listed as fourth in my age group, however they do have a masters category so I'm assuming that a couple of the women in my age group placed overall in that category, thus bumping me up to second in my age group.  Whatever the case may be, it totally made my day.

 I'm still not packed which is kind of stressing me out.  I've been so busy at work that I haven't been able to give much thought to anything else.   I come home late so I scarf something down, pack my bag for my next days workout, make my lunch and then I'm so tired I have to go to bed.  I suspect that tonight will be a late night and I won't get much in the way of sleep since G wants to hit the road at 5:00 am tomorrow.  I can always sleep in the car though so I'm not too fussed about that.   All I need to do is get through today without too much stress (ha ha, yeah right) and then it's literally off to the race(s)!

Bring it on!

The Countdown is ON!

I can't believe we are already just over one week into April.  Even crazier is the fact that I will be on my way to Boston THIS FRIDAY.  *GULP*.   In fact, one week from now, I will be in my corral,  doing my best not to freak out.

What I want to know is where did the time go?  It only seems like yesterday that I laced up my Mizunos and did my first track workout of this training cycle.  Geez.  Right now, I feel as ready as I'll ever be.  I had a massage yesterday and I think it helped sort out my leg issues but it's still too early to tell.  There is still some soreness and a bit of pinching but it's definitely better.  The true test will be when I go for a run on Wednesday. 

Like the weather nerd that I am, I've been watching the forecast in Boston since last week.  When I first looked this was the race day forecast:

Great for spectating, not so great for racing.  In fact, it's dangerously close to the same temperature as the last time I did Boston after training through a winter much like this one.  With no time to acclimatize to the warmer temps, I had a less than stellar day.   Of course I checked again this morning and it's looking much better.

That is almost idea racing conditions right there my friends.  I'm crossing my fingers that it stays dry.  But, I will pack for all types of weather because that's just what I do.  Always be prepared right?

Those of you that follow me on Instagram have seen the virtual countdown that Ty at SeekingBostonMarathon.com has been hosting with 3 other bloggers:  Alison at Racing Tales, Lora at LVRunsNYC and Annabelle at Fluency's Folly (go and check them out!).  That's been a super fun challenge and a great peek into how everyone else has been preparing for the big day.  I'm looking forward to potentially meeting up with some of these folks in real life at the race.  Oh the wonders of the interwebz!  You can bet that my Instagram feed is going to explode once we hit the road on Friday so watch out!

Are you a big weather watcher leading up to a race?

That's All She Wrote..

Well guys, that's another training cycle just about done.  I did my last long run before Boston on a gloriously sunny but chilly morning today.  Skipping that 8km race was definitely the right call.  My legs felt like they were at about 85%.  My right one is totally fine but my left one needs a little bit more help.  I started off feeling a little rough and I actually debated whether or not I was going to continue.  I thought it would be wise to at least let my legs warm up a bit more before I made that decision.  I'm glad I did.  Despite the tightness and pinching, I still managed to run pretty close to my goal pace (I was 1 second slower per km than I needed to be).  The best part?  It felt easy.  At this stage of the game, I couldn't ask for anything more than that.  Except maybe some warmer temps.  Please?  It's April for Pete's sake!!

Toques in April should not be necessary!!!

Now all I need to do is get through this last week without incident.  That means busting out the big guns.  I've got to make sure I get my greens in, even if that means supplementing with Greens Plus.  I'll also get back on the Immunity FX bandwagon.  Yes, I'm absolutely, totally and completely paranoid about getting sick.  I know I was feeling a little run down yesterday because I went to bed last night at just after 9:00 pm (on a Friday, yeah I know how to live it up) and I slept until just past 6:30 am.  That's 9.5 hours of pretty much uninterrupted sleep.  Guess I was tired.  I'm feeling tired now too but I suppose that's not surprising.  My body is obviously in major rebuild mode. 

I'm also going to have to start packing sooner rather than later.  The last thing I want to do is be running around like a mad woman throwing things into a bag on Thursday night.  I've been told to pack light because we're driving down to Boston in our new wheels and there apparently isn't a whole lot of room in it.  I'm calling it G's Midlife Crisis car because it's a convertible.  It's not a Porsche or anything crazy like that.  We're both big VW fans so the choice was fairly obvious.   We got a Volkswagen EOS and it looks exactly like this:

As long as the sun is out and it's above zero, G will have the top down for the drive down.  I'm going to have to make sure I pack a hat or two and maybe a blanket.  Hopefully there's enough room....

Do you do or take anything specific during your taper?

Shoulda Coulda Woulda

It's 11 days out from showtime and I'm going to be honest, I'm not feeling great.  I know that generally happens during taper but I'm not talking about the typical tapermadness aches and pains.  I'm talking about actual discomfort.  I was worried that I might have gone a little too hard at Around the Bay and I can pretty much confirm that I did.  Normally I bounce back relatively quickly if I'm smart with my post race recovery.  I did what I normally do post long distance race:  recovery drink, re-hydrate, gentle stretching, compression, ice bath, hot bath, more compression, proper stretching.  The only thing I didn't do was book a massage.  It took me a couple of days before I could walk up and down stairs properly.  Even then my recovery run on the Tuesday post race was anything but easy.  I stretched more and foam rolled. I was supposed to do mile repeats on the Thursday post race and I could barely get my speed up.  My hamstrings and glutes were super tight.  I went to hot yoga on the Friday thinking that would help.  It didn't do as much as I hoped it would.  I was really regretting not booking that post race massage.  I had one scheduled for this coming Sunday and I figured that would be sufficient. I only have a limited amount of coverage per year and I don't want to blow through it before my summer of racing starts.  But, looking back on it, I should have booked it.  Shoulda coulda woulda.  I'm now dealing with sciatic nerve pain down my left leg because my piriformis muscle is super tight.  I had some ART work done on it yesterday and it seemed to help but then by the end of the day I was incredibly uncomfortable.  It hurt more than it did last week.  I went home and iced it, then had an epsom salts bath and took a Tylenol.   I got on the treadmill at the gym this morning and managed to run 10 minutes at a very easy pace.  I wasn't in pain but I was definitely uncomfortable.  I figured it wasn't worth it to try and get my interval workout done.  Realistically I've done all I can, now it's just about resting & recovery.  The important thing is to get to the start line INJURY FREE.  This will probably be the easiest taper I've ever had, ha ha.

A couple of months ago, I had registered for an 8km race that takes place this Saturday.  I figured that I could do a nice 5km warm up, race the 8k and then do a 3km cool down to get my 16km in as I'm supposed to be running it at a faster pace.  But given that the race is on a very hilly course, I'm thinking maybe it's not the wisest thing for me to do right now.  I've been going over the pros and cons in my head for the last two days:

Pros:
1) I've paid for it already
2) It's a good little speedwork session
3) I have a massage scheduled for the next day so whatever I do to my legs could get worked out.
4) I've done this race before and I really like it

Cons:
1) It's a hilly course
2) It could make my glute / nerve pain worse
3) I'd be wasting my entry fee if I didn't race
4) I'd go harder than I actually need to because it's a race

On screen it's a tie but I think that Con #2 is my biggest concern.  So, instead of racing, I think I'll don my expensive race shirt and do my long run on the flat waterfront trail by my house Saturday morning.  I hate missing races but realistically this is not my A race.  It's not even my B race, it's just a race.  Period.  It would have been race number 3 of my #13in2013 challenge but looks like that honor will fall to Boston, which isn't necessarily a bad thing. I have to remember to keep my eyes on the prize:  finishing Boston feeling strong!

11 more days.  Where did the time go?

Start Spreading the News...

I'm leaving on Friday!!  Ahhhhhhhhh!

Oh how my tune has changed from last week's post.  I think I have Frank Sinatra to thank for that.   The day after I wrote that post, I was heading out to meet my run group and New York, New York came on my iTunes playlist.  I couldn't help but smile.  I think at that point the full realization of where I was going and what I was going to do, hit me.   I've never been to New York and I've never participated in a race this big. 

So yes, the excitement has finally kicked in.  I was dancing around the kitchen singing "If I can make it there, I'll make it anywhere....."  G turned to me and said "So you're not really excited, right?"  Ah touche my love, touche.

I think excited is an understatement.

This time next week, I will be just over an hour and 30 minutes into my journey.  So I should be somewhere around 18 km depending on how I'm feeling.   I went out for a 16km run yesterday and my legs didn't feel great.  I'm not surprised given I had a massage on Wednesday and then did a kick heavy swim on Friday.  But, I've still got a week of recovery left.  The positive thing was that my achilles didn't bother me at all.  I could feel it getting a bit tight towards the end but I stopped to stretch and that seemed to help. I've got one more session on Thursday with my PT.  I've been given all sorts of exercises to do.  Once the race is over we're going to get down to business to fix the underlying issues on my left side.  I don't have much mobility in my left ankle and I'm not engaging some of my calf muscles so there is some compensation happening in my other muscles.  This is the first time in 14 years that I've had any sort of calf / achilles issues and I am I chalking it up to the Newtons and the fact that I did pretty much no calf work at all this year.  Not a good combo.  

So while I'm excited about the marathon, I am also excited to stop, give my body a break and take the time to work on making it stronger so I can get through next year injury free.

In the meantime, I'm going to focus on the task at hand: getting through another 26.2 miles upright and smiling.

Get 'Er Done!

Given how crappy I'm feeling, perhaps this post should have been entitled "How Not to Taper".  Obviously I won't know until Sunday if my 5 days in a different time zone will have negatively affected my race.  As of right now, I'm feeling like a sack of hammers.  I'm feeling very lethargic (maybe because I haven't worked out in 3 days??) and I can't seem to shake the congestion in my nose (potentially allergies but claritin isn't really helping, might need something stronger). 
So, I don't have high hopes for Sunday but, I will go out and do what I always do:  give it 110%.  I did contemplate bailing on it...for about a second but then I figured that would be a waste of $85 and the loss of another cool finishers medal.  I'd also miss out on all my friends and my hubby manning the chocolate aid station which would be a real bummer.   And most importantly, I wouldn't be there to cheer on my friend Kirsten who enlisted my help in developing a training plan to help her get faster.  She has had PB's in the 2 races she's done so far this year so I have high hopes for her this time around.  I want to be there to see her cross the line.  If I have to run her in to provide that extra kick in the pants, I'll do it.

Sometimes the races or runs that you have the least interest in doing end up being the best ones if you just go out and get 'er done.   Here's hoping that's the case this weekend! 

I Left My Heart In San Francisco

I've just come back from the recreational athlete's equivalent of Nirvana and I have to say, I'm feeling a little blue.  I thought it might be jet lag but I really do think I'm missing the ocean and the mountains. Where did I jet off to this time you ask (as if the title of this post didn't give it away already)?  The beautiful state of California, specifically San Francisco.  We have friends that moved out there last year so we figured it was high time that we paid them a visit.  What better time than the first long weekend of the summer?  We headed out early on Wednesday morning and with the time change, we were in San Fran by 9:30 PST so we had a full day.  Our first day was spent hanging out in the sun at our friends place, which is in Tiburon about 25 minutes north of downtown San Francisco, in a beautiful spot called Paradise Cay.  They have a yacht club at their door step and Robin Williams lives around the corner so to say it was nice was a bit of an understatement.  No complaints about the view, that's for sure!

Morning View from the U.S. branch of Cabana Cadman

I couldn't wait to get out and run so Thursday morning Gary and I drove over to a little waterfront trail called Blackies Pasture.  The trail was short but I didn't care.  It ran right along the water and it was packed dirt and gravel.  Bliss!!  Out and back was just over 8km.  8km of pure joy.  The air was fresh and the breeze was cool.  I was completely energized by the time we were done.  And it was great to run with Gary.  We don't get a chance to do that very often.

 

Gary running through Blackies Pasture

Friday was spent shopping in Union Square in downtown San Francisco.  So many stores I thought my head was going to explode.  We lunched al fresco and wandered through various shops and department stores.  I scored an amazing pair of shoes (surprisingly not the running kind!) at 50% off.  Gary finally bought himself a non-baseball hat (this is a big deal!).  It was a lovely day.  We covered a lot of ground, some of it incredibly hilly.  Like almost straight up and down hilly.  I couldn't believe the sheer angle of the roads.  With roads like this, these folks are darn lucky they don't get snow.  They'd be screwed.

This is not an optical illusion.

Saturday morning was a lazy one.  The boys went riding and I went for a short run around the Cay and then hung out with Sue.  Saturday afternoon she introduced me to the shopping wonder that is T.J. Maxx.  Oh my.  It's like Winners on steroids.  We spent 4 hours in there.  4 HOURS.  I tried on no less than 30 pieces of clothing.  I kid you not.  I guess my love of endurance events carries over to shopping as well.  It was well worth it as I scored a bunch of great things, my favourite being a dress that just so happened to match the awesome shoes I bought the day before. 

Sunday was our busiest day.  We got up very early so the boys could hit the road for a ride and I could get a long-ish run in before G & I headed off to Alcatraz and Pier 39.  Gary dropped me off at a rec centre in the middle of a gorgeous town called Mill Valley.  The boys were going to climb up to the Headlands and I was going to run the trail into Sausalito.  It was a very warm morning, even at 7:30 am and I was wishing I wore my tank top.  The run was lovely.  I kept seeing a blimp circling the bay in the distance and I figured it was aerial coverage for the 100th annual Bay To Breakers race, which is something that I've always wanted to do.  Had I been thinking I would have actually checked to see if the race was sold out before we left.  But alas, I wasn't thinking and as I found out later on that morning, it wasn't sold out so I could very well have run it.  It would have been the perfect taper run.  Running 12km across the bottom of San Francisco in a sea of 50,000 runners, most of which are dressed in costume.  How much fun would that have been?  It just means we'll have to go back again.  I'm sure I won't have a problem convincing Gary to do that.  There is still so much left to explore there!

For now, this little jet-setter is done traveling for a while.  At least until November when we head to New York.  I think I've gotten over my jet lag so I'll lace up my shoes tonight and go for a run.  The view won't be the same but that's ok, I think I'll live.

A Case of the Pre-Race Nigglies.

I think that's exactly what any sports doc would diagnose me with right now.  I'm in the middle of my taper for the Toronto Women's Half on Sunday and I am feeling all sorts of aches and pains.

There is the very real pain in my neck that stemmed from sleeping weirdly on Thursday night.  That seems to be getting better.  But it's hard for me to tell.  I do know that there is a whole lotta cracking going on in my neck and shoulders.  Which means that at least things are moving now.  They weren't on Friday & Saturday so that's a plus!

There was the knee pain before, during and after my run last night.  It's miraculously gone today.

There were the horrible foot and calf cramps I had in the pool this morning.   Gone by the time I finished my set.

And there is the general tightness of my back.   It also really seems to want to go snap crackle and pop right now.    Good thing I have a massage scheduled tomorrow night!

Apparently these are all common things that occur to folks during a taper.  They are generally more prevalent in marathon tapers as those are over a longer period of time.  All those aches and pains (nigglies as I like to call them) are apparently just signs that your body is healing.  I'm chalking my nigglies up to the fact that I started my taper early.  Not by choice mind you.  It's all my neck's fault.   But perhaps that neck twinge was a good thing.  Sometimes a bit of forced rest is for the best. Sometimes, your body knows best.

I guess I'll have to wait till Sunday to find out!