Hello again. Gulp! Well, I'm in the midst of my taper and less than a week away from running my first 50k ultramarathon. For anyone new to the term, the taper is a period usually 2-3 weeks out from a race, where the intensity and volume of your runs are decreased significantly in order to rest, recover, repair, and reset. I added reset because mentally, I'm at the "acceptance and hope stage" of the cycle. I am excited for the race, but I'm also really nervous of the unknown. This will be the first time I've run farther than the 26.2 marathon distance. Well, I trained the best I could (though I did run into a couple setbacks), and come Saturday, I'll do my best, and accept whatever happens. According to my hubby, I got this... so, I'll let you know!
It's time to trust the process because at this point my training is done.
During this stage I'm as fit as I'm going to be come race day, so I'm focusing on making my final preparations. I have to admit, I am a complete worry wart about a lot of things this week — like maybe I haven't trained enough, or maybe I'm not fit enough — my main worry is running into an issue during the race and having to drop out, but the only thing worrying will do is drive me crazy because all of these things are out of my control! Instead I'm trying to focus on my plan for the day. I'm reading my new book, Running Rewired, by Jay Dicharry. I'm working on my pumpin' music playlist (I call it my hero music), getting one last massage, adding additional yoga, and planning how I'll carb load and hydrate this week. Taper tantrums... stay away!
I've spent months training for this race, and I realize it's not just the race I should celebrate, it's all those hours on the trail. I mean, I should feel proud that I can spend 5 plus hours on my feet. Back in 2016, when I ran my first half-marathon, I'd never have the guts (or legs) to run that long! I'm happy to say that whatever happens, the race is a win-win. Best case: I complete the 50k and become an ultrarunner! Yay! Worst Case: Something happens and I don't finish the race, but I still trained harder than before, and that's something worth celebrating! No matter what happens, I won't let the fear of the
unknown stop me from trying. And...I got to
spend a lot of time with the hubby during training!
That's a major win!
Here's a recap of last week's portion of the taper. I still did some strength training, but nothing that made me too sore so I could recover.
Sunday - 5.6-mile spin bike ride. Then 15 minutes abs using the FitOn app.
Monday - Started with Yoga with Adriene on YouTube. 20-minute arms on FitOn, The Gun Show.2-mile walk. -2-mile run. This is the day I had the creepy encounter from my previous post.
Tuesday - 5-mile spin bike ride. Leg day. Caroline Girvan's EPIC on YouTube.
Wednesday - 6-mile run on the trail. Abs on FitOn app. - Upper body on FitOn app.
Thursday - Recovery/rest day. Yoga with Adriene on YouTube.
Friday - 5-mile run at the mountain. Yoga with Adriene.
Total weekly miles run/biked = 25.6
When I began training for this race, my why was about me. I was running to become the person I wanted to be. Now my why has changed. My hubby has been so supportive throughout this process, he is my why. He believes in me and gives me a reason to keep going. If he believes in me, I don't want to let him down. He'll be running the half-marathon Saturday, so cheer for him. I'll be cheering him on from the 50k.
Thanks for reading this week. I expect that my anticipation will continue to grow throughout the week, so hopefully I can stay calm! I've done all I can up to this point. The training has wound down and it's almost show time! I'll let you know how I do Saturday! Stay tuned for the recap. It'll be a learning experience, for sure.
What are your race goals?
Are you excited about your training?
Have you encountered an obstacle during your training?
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