Woohoo! It’s officially taper time!
My wonderful and amazing friend Monica flew out from California to run my last long run with me. (Now that’s a GREAT friend, right!?) I had 20 miles on my training plan (well, technically, 3:00) and we thought it would be fun to do a race together, so we ran the Duxbury Half Marathon + some miles before the start.
Rise ‘n’ shine, it’s running time! Monica and I were already running on the course at 6:00 AM to get in the extra miles before start time. It was cold and rainy and quite the way to start a 20-miler. Oh, boy.
Have I mentioned that Monica is a really good friend?
We finished just after 7:00 AM, which was right in the middle of bib pick-up, so we swung inside the Duxbury Senior Center, grabbed our stuff, and then ran back to my car to change out of our wet clothes and into dry ones before the race.
Dry clothes definitely helped, but it was still pretty chilly at the start. Brrrrr! (FYI: My ombre capris are from Brooks. I lovvvve them!)
My friend Marisa also joined us for the race, but she cruised and met us at the finish.
It was the 3rd annual race, so it was still pretty small with about 250 runners, so everyone started together at 7:30 AM on the dot. Ready? Go!
Monica and I kept our slow and steady pace for the first 6 or 7 miles of the race without issue. We talked and talked and talked the entire time. I asked her tons of questions about running and marathons, and she gave me so many great ideas and insight into what to do on race day (i.e. pacing, fueling, hydration). (She’ll answer all of these questions in the next edition of Marathon Talk with Monica, so keep a look out for it!)
Around mile 8 or 9 (technically, mile 15 or 16), I started to lose a little steam. I didn’t feel terrible, but my legs were starting to feel heavy and, mentally, I was feeling a bit overwhelmed that we still had 4-5 miles to go. I told Monica and she replied: Focus on running the mile that you are in. Ok, then, so that’s what I did. And before I knew it, we were at mile 10, and I actually felt pretty good (maybe my GU kicked in?), so we picked up the pace a little bit and continued along.
When we passed mile 11, we picked up the pace even more. I felt great! And at mile 12, I picked it up even more and practically sprinted to the end. I turned to Monica and said: LET’S GO! And then I ran as fast as I could until I crossed the finish line. It was an awesome way to finish, and it made me feel so confident in my training. Bring it on!
Monica and I finished the half in 2:00 on the dot, which isn’t too shabby considering it was part of a 20-mile run!
The “medal” for this race was a packet of Forget-Me-Not seeds. Isn’t that adorable? I’m definitely doing to plant them!
After the race, we stopped by Marylou’s for iced coffee.
And then popped into Whole Foods for FOOD!
PSA: The chocolate-covered macaroons (in the bakery section) at Whole Foods are incredible. They’re my new favorite treat and, of course, I needed to celebrate the start of my taper with a few of them. Yummmm!
Questions of the Day
Any advice for taper time? What should I do and not do?
What’s the craziest/most unusual medal you’ve received at a race?
P.S. Just wanted to share… From today through April 15th, Hyatt Regency Boston will collect new and gently worn sneakers to benefit the guests of St. Francis House, a neighborhood shelter for homeless men and women. (They have a Back on My Feet team!) St. Francis House provides rehabilitative and housing programs for poor and homeless men and women, supporting 500-600 people each day and serving up to 800 meals per day, 365 days a year. All shoe donations can be dropped off in the main lobby of Hyatt Regency Boston, located at One Avenue de Lafayette, in downtown Boston.
