One Week Remaining

Well, this is it. One week from today is why I have run 578.3 miles since June 24th. This last week will only be about 15-20 miles, so I'll come in just under 600 miles in training before the marathon. The last run will be on Friday. Saturday hopefully will be very restful and relaxing. I usually don't sleep very well the night before the marathon, so I am going to try to get a good night's sleep on Friday.

The rest of this week will just be finalizing a few things - the playlist and the shirt specifically. Every year, I put some words or a saying on my shirt. Many people put their names on their shirt. It results in some of the one million or so spectators cheering for you by yelling whatever is your shirt. It can be pretty entertaining. If you get tired of people saying whatever is on your shirt, you can move to the middle of the street and a lot less people will be able to see you.

So, I ran a nice 12-miler today. If you a regular reader, you'll know that every so often there are days where the running is just mediocre. I think today was supposed to be one of those days. It was also supposed to be my last longer run with any sustained effort. So, I am glad I got a bad one out of my system. There's part of me that's nervous because it was my last run of any substance. It's pretty normal for veteran marathoners to doubt their training and fitness level at this point. Part of it is because we are tapering and the reduced mileage can create a little stir-craziness. The other part is human nature. One of the frustrating parts of marathon running is that you train for four months for one day. It's only natural to question if you've done enough for that one day.

So, I was trying to run three easy miles to start today. I did and came in at about an 8:08 pace. The next three were supposed to be 7:40s. After hitting the 6 mile mark, I was at a 7:53. The problem is that I felt like I was running harder than that. So, I turned around and decided to try to hit the next three at 7:40. That didn't happen either. I came in at a 7:45 for the next three miles. Again, I felt like I was running harder. So, I took it easy for mile 10 and then picked it up for miles 11 and 12. I ran the last two at a 7:30 pace.

It wasn't a bad run by any stretch, I just couldn't hit my times I was shooting for. I felt like my effort today should have netted me better times, so it's a little concerning. At the same time, I kind of feel like it was supposed to a day where I just didn't have it and I still posted some respectable times. On the plus side, I was getting faster as the day went on.

As for my calf injury, it's still there. It's getting better, but I am starting to doubt it will be fully recovered by Sunday. It's not a huge deal. I can still run with it and there are times I don't notice it at all. Other times I can feel it with every stride. I am hoping for the best, but am still mentally preparing myself if it flares up on Sunday, especially in the final few miles when many of the muscles in the legs are very fatigued. I am getting therapy three days this week and will see the doctor on Friday. I'm not sure what he can say at that point, but what do I know?

Wish for some cool temperatures for the weekend. There are differing forecasts right now. One is calling for mostly cloudy with a high of 64 and a low of 46 the night before. That would be really good. The other is calling for a cloudy day with a high of 57 and a previous evening low of 41. This would also be good. These two forecasts have started to get closer together in the past 24 hours. Yesterday, one was at 68 and the other was at 52.

Have a good week.