Taper!

Well Marathon Fans, I broke my word. Having a rough week at work, I settled down for a margarita last Thursday to temper the immense pressures that I've assumed in the past month. And it was great...except for the part when my mother reamed me the next day for "disheartening" her. Apparently, my blurb about how I had stopped drinking now falls under the category of lying. (Whatever happened to "changing your mind"...?)

In any case, my apologies. Weak character that I am, I couldn't resist having a small happy hour. I understand if I've compromised your trust in me, and if you call me a sneaky little liar behind my back, that's fair. However, I had the best intentions in mind, but work's been a little over the top recently. (Insert shoulder shrug here.)

The taper week has officially begun. In running lingo, "taper" is a period of rest time just before you go out to run some obscene mileage. The goal is to do no more than you have already trained for: e.g. we've completed our long 20-mile run, so now we are letting our muscles recuperate and until race day, we'll be working out at smaller distances, though the same intensity. The beautiful fact of tapering is that the distances that once seemed insurmountable are now like a favorite little dessert. What's that coach? We're having chocolate cake instead of hummus and carrots for track practice?
Okay, so the metaphor's a stretch, but you get the idea...it's a delicious feeling.

I'm also excited that I will be able to get out and run more with the team. The show has ended (tear) and we had a wonderful cast party this weekend after striking the set and cleaning the theatre. Saddened that it is over, but grateful for the freed weekends. Last week was the first time I had seen the team in over a month (in a workout setting), and both I and my teammates were surprised to see each other. Everyone was running strong, and I was pleased that I could keep up with them. I have become a bit nervous these past few weeks, mainly because I had no progress gauge. I have come to appreciate running on my own, but without a teammate or coach monitoring your work, it's hard to know if you're making strides. It was a relief to find that I have kept up on my own.

The marathon is this upcoming weekend! Nervous thoughts are still fluttering around in my head, but I've managed to wrangle them in, promising myself that I will finish strong and to not worry about the timing. According to my father (seasoned marathoner that he is), I can expect to be nervous the night before, and not get a wink of sleep; I should stay in the hotel room all day Saturday and rest my legs, I should wear a plastic garbage bag over my running clothes during the first mile or so to warm up, and I should look for the "pace guy" for 5:30:00 at the start line. According to my mother (seasoned marathon fan that she is), my father's advice is completely subjective.

All that aside, I'll be packing some peanut butter and shot blocks in my suitcase (airport regulations and all that jazz) for pre-marathon breakfasting, and I have yet to settle into the thought that I've never packed for a trip that specifically involved exercising. I mean, the basis of my wardrobe will be items I can run in, comfortably. Forget packing the high heels and perfume, I'll be debating which sock length will work best for five hours of pavement running, and how much body glide I'll need to slap on Sunday morning. There's something to be said for doing something you've never done before.

The next blog will perhaps be the last, or close to it, so stay posted for results, and thanks again for supporting me thus far!