The final big week is almost complete. Well, it will be complete once today is over.

In the past as I approach the beginning of my taper I remember feeling a bit disappointed. I can tell you without a doubt going into it this time I am ready! I’m pretty exhausted so a slight break is something I’m actually looking forward to this go round.

Even though I’m looking forward to it, it still makes me nervous. The marathon is exactly 2 weeks away and I’m not really sure what is going to happen; however that’s the beauty of marathons right?

 

Let’s take a look at my last week of hard training.

Monday – 7 miles

I started the week with 7 easy miles. My hip has been bothering me since last weekend for some reason, so I spent a good amount of time post run using my foam roller.

It has quickly become my new best friend!

 

Tuesday – 8 miles

Another easy 8 miles on Tuesday. I was tired but still felt pretty good.

I think when you reach this point in your training your legs are just tired. There is really no way around it, and it’s best to just accept it.

 

Wednesday – 12 miles (Workout)

My first workout of the week came on Wednesday. I actually based this off the workout my husband had scheduled that day.

Warm up (3.3 miles total including some strides and quick tempo work)
6 LT tempo miles (7:11, 7:14, 7:13, 7:18, 7:15, 7:20)
1 mile recovery job
4 x 1 minute at 5k pace (1 minute recovery)
4 x 30 seconds fast (1 minute recovery)
Cool down

I was actually amazed at how quickly this workout went by. The tempo miles were tough, and my hip was still bothering me but it wasn’t as bad as I was expecting.

Overall, I’m happy with the effort especially since it started at 3:50 AM!

 

Thursday – 8 miles

Another easy run on Thursday. I was so incredibly tired.

I didn’t feel like running too many hills that morning so opted to run a small loop 8-9 times. It wasn’t ideal, but it got the job done!

I spent a lot of time stretching post run.

 

Friday – Off

Just like I am looking forward to my taper I was looking forward to my rest day by Friday!

 

Saturday – 16 miles (Workout)

This was going to be my last workout before the marathon. Of course, I’ll have some small workouts to keep my legs moving and used to marathon pace but this was the last big one.

Unfortunately, the entire weekend was pure rain. I’m not talking misty rain, I’m talking pouring down rain. It was not at all the final long run I had imagined but you have to work with what you’ve got. We headed to the gym to get it done.

Here’s how the workout went down:
4 miles easy
3 miles moderate (8:40-8:12)
7 miles GMP (7:41-7:30)
2 mile cool down

In total it was 16 miles at a 1% incline on the treadmill. I’ll take it. It wasn’t easy, I was pretty exhausted at the end but was happy to have given the effort!

 

Sunday – 8 miles

The goal is slow, steady, and relaxed for my 8 Sunday miles.

 

I opted for 2 big workouts this week instead of trying to push 3 this close to the marathon. It was tiring, but I am glad that I challenged myself and boosted my confidence a tiny big going into the beginning of my 2 week taper.

How did your running go this week?

Are you a fan or do you hate the taper?