Thursday, June 23, 2011

Tiny taper!

And the taper for Seattle Rock 'n' Roll Half Marathon begins...NOW! Actually it began at 7:45 this morning, when I left the Y, and it's not so much a taper as a rest and recovery period for my legs before the race on Saturday morning. Approximately 47 hours of coddling should have them ready to run, I hope!

I've probably written before that I don't follow a full-fledged taper for a half marathon or shorter distance race, but I do like to have at least one full rest day before any race where I want to try for a good performance. For major races, either longer (marathon, half) or races where I hope to PR, I actually like to have two days off running to feel my best. For Saturday, I had originally planned on doing my usual Y thing on Thursday (elliptical, yoga), then taking Friday as a full rest.

But my ankle and heel have been pretty flared up in the last couple days (probably as a result of my speed work yesterday), and as I limped around the house getting ready to go to the Y this morning, I decided that this was it. I'd do the morning workout then call it good. Hopefully I can remember to ice my ankle tonight, I think that helps a little. I should have done it last night but I didn't. I would like the discomfort to go away, but I am not too concerned about any effect on the race. The pain almost always goes away once I'm warmed up.

I don't have a specific goal for the race on Saturday. I feel prepared to do well, but I don't want to set my expectations too high. On the other hand, I would like to do a little better than just running at goal marathon pace (which would give me about a 1:58). Last year I had a 1:58 but that was with a bathroom stop, so in fact I was running a bit faster than the time would indicate. My speed work and other runs seem to suggest that I am about back to where I was last year.

My final run was yesterday, Wednesday morning, and it went great (although perhaps it was a little too long). Everything went exactly as planned.


  • 2.2 miles - warmup. 10:07, 9:38, plus .2 at 9:51 pace.

  • 3.1 miles - tempo/fantasy race pace. 8:23, 8:23, 8:17, plus .1 at 8:37 pace. My goal for those miles was 8:30 pace. I was afraid I wouldn't be able to make it, so I pushed it a little too hard!

  • .45 recovery - 9:36 pace

  • 4 x .25 miles at the track, with short recovery jogs in between - 1:52 (7:25 pace), 1:52 (7:21 pace), 1:52 (7:26 pace), 1:48 (7:10 pace)

  • .70 recovery at 9:14 pace

  • .27 recovery at 8:59 pace
I mistakenly hit the lap button during the final recovery, that's why it's split up. I didn't realize I was so close to a full mile! Total distance 8.07 miles (yeah, that extra .03 would have rounded things up nicely--but I was already running late).

I also went to yoga last night, the Wednesday version of my Monday class. I really enjoy this class and instructor; I may have to try to go twice a week more often. The reason I don't is that it's a little bit far away from me and is at 7:30 p.m., which means I don't get home until 9:00. I'm in the habit for Mondays, but adding another late night would be hard. My Thursday yoga class (which I will skip tonight in favor of rest) is at 7:15, but only a mile from my house so I still get home at 8:30.

I am also trying to do some judicious carb loading. You know, not pigging out but getting some glycogen in my system. Waffles for breakfast!

2 comments:

Erika said...

good luck with your race! I was thinking the same thing about the race finishing times, but the half runs the first half of the full...not the second. It's the craziest course I've ever seen!!! Thanks for your words of encouragment! now you, go get 'em!

Lindsay said...

Good luck at the Seattle Rock 'n' Roll!! Not running it this year, but maybe next year. Seems like the weather will be pretty perfect for running.... :)