Two Weeks to Chicago!

"It's okay to do nothing at all...."

I love dark chocolate, especially the individually wrapped mini Doves. Last spring, I realized they had unique sayings under the wrapper and I began collecting them. I have more than 60 of them taped up in my cubical at work. Some are sweet, some are suggestive, but one that I like the best says "It's okay to do nothing at all." As I soaked up the sun on my front porch yesterday after our final long run, 12 miles, I realized that I really don't allow myself the luxury to just relax very often. Over the last few weeks of long runs, I find that I've fallen into a nice little habit of enjoying bagels and coffee with all of you, driving home, doing my Saturday errands and chores, showering, and then settling into my hammock swing on the porch with a glass of wine. The sun warms me as I read or write, or often fall asleep. Getting up at 4:30 in the morning on Saturdays certainly wears me out, but this is a routine that I will miss once the marathon training is over. I've enjoyed testing my limitations, both physically and mentally, but more than that, I've enjoyed the many rewards that come with marathon training, including the reward of allowing myself to simply do nothing at all as I recharge body and soul.

As we start the taper period of marathon training, we should take as much time as we can to sit back and relax knowing that we've done everything the right way. And since we're carb-loading anyway, be sure to reach for an extra piece of chocolate this week - you deserve it.

Week 17 (21 miles)
Mid-week runs of 4, 6, and 3 miles, with a weekend long run of only 8 miles. If anyone is interested in meeting at Washington Park on Thursday for a four mile run - post a comment here. Also, since I will be helping at the Race for Lymphoma in Chatham on Saturday, I will not be coordinating the long run on Saturday, but if anyone is interested in meeting at Panera West OR running after the race on Saturday, post a comment here as well and we'll try to get everyone coordinated.

The taper period is critical to marathon success as it allows your body to heal from minor injuries while building energy. Eat more carbohydrates (but don't overeat), drink plenty of fluids, stay healthy, get enough sleep, cut out cross training and weight training, and don't do anything different than what you've done over the last 16 weeks of training. This week, finalize the logistics for marathon weekend and visualize where you are going to hang that finisher's medal!

Most important is to find ways to relax and to combat some of the anxiety that is natural when significantly reducing mileage. Your body will miss the miles we've built up to and you may worry that you need to get in some extra miles. You are as fit as you will get at this point and any extra training may leave you injured or not as strong mentally as you need to be.

From The Non-Runner's Marathon Trainer
"One thing I love about running marathons is that there are always people in front of you and always people in behind you. There is an aspect of anonymity to it. You are just out there along with everyone else and nobody knows who you are or what you do for a living; nobody cares how much money you have or don't have. No one cares about your problems or their problems. You're out there as an individual and yet there is definitely a feeling comaraderie. At least for a little while, it's as if we're all equal...in the same boat..."

And finally - if you're a little apprehensive about the marathon, as I am, remember, if we had the guts to do the training, to survive the last 16 weeks of heat, pre-dawn runs, humidity, injuries, rain, and crazy schedules, then you know we have the guts to finish the race. We're certainly not doing this alone - we've got a close to a couple dozen HalfWits Gone Wild to enjoy the experiences with all along the way. If you've got questions or concerns, post them here - I'm sure there's someone out there that will be happy to share their experiences with you.

Mary