Taper Time

Today completed week two of the training plan. I logged 38 miles, again picking up the extra two running with our beginner group. Now it's on to taper. Except...we're doing a fun point-to-point tomorrow morning and its 7.5 miles, so I'll be a little over my planned five. I'm sure it will be fine.

I found a couple pairs of Asics 2120s online - they've already arrived and are ready to rotate with the Brooks. Thanks to Angie, I found the Garmin post I was looking for here. I've ordered the charger and it's on the way. I hope I get it in time to test it out this week. I have to figure out how I'm carrying it - I don't plan to carry a bottle, so I've got to find an alternative.

Pac Rim is a one mile loop around a lake. It's a 24 hour run - as many miles as you can log in that time frame. My goal is 50 miles. My pie-in-the-sky goal is to accomplish that in 12 hours. My realistic goal is more like 14 hours, maybe even 15. Wendy has been planning to pace me for seven miles in the evening, and this week Jessica decided to join her. Today, it sounds like Jenny will sign up and shoot for 50 as well - we'll mostly run together. Cat and Abi are also talking about coming down. Of course, Rob, Jamal and Steve are all going for the big miles and we are carpooling down. Eric will be driving down after running the Chuckanut 50K. It's a 4.5 hour drive from his run to my run. He'll be helping me through those last miles.

Steve gave me some great input about fueling and drinking (we all know I don't manage that too well during long runs), about rest breaks, and about what to expect in the later miles. He's advising me to eat and drink a little every time I pass the aid station (every one mile). Listening to him has given me an added boost of confidence - thanks Steve!

All in all, I'm feeling pretty good about this run. I won't deny the butterfly feeling in my tummy when I think about the distance, and the little spurt of anxiety that goes with it. At the same time I feel a surge of excitement and confidence. Complex feelings that indicate I'm stretching my comfort zone. That's a good thing, right?

Today at coffee there was a lot of talk about another race this spring - a 108 mile point-to-point. Jane is considering it and has suggested I join her. I thought about it while I was walking the dog, and asked Eric what he thought when I got home. His response was so honest and wonderful. He said something to the effect of, "I don't ever want to tell you not to do something, because, who knows what you can do. But, I've been with you when your heart has given you trouble on long runs and I worry about the toll it takes on you. You could try and stop when it becomes too much." It echoed the thoughts I have been having, because honestly, I wonder about 50 miles much less 100. Just how far can I push? I've been lucky, really, really lucky. I haven't had a huge problem since Couer D'Alene last spring. But, oh, CD'A was bad, and so was Mt. Si. Something compels me to move forward though, something urges me to keep trying. The answer about 108 miles? The answer is, I can't think about it now. I need to see about 50 miles. I'll have a much better idea after that. It's not really something that has been on my radar, and I'm not really sure it has grabbed me.

So, I'll put that thought aside and focus on resting and fueling for Saturday. And in the meantime, I plan to enjoy taper week!