Last Track Workout & Accepting Taper(sort of)

The fact that I am officially in taper mode really hit me last night as I sat on the track stretching after completing my final set of yassos. I have never tapered the same way twice for the marathons that I have done so far, BUT I can pinpoint the exact moment in each cycle where it really hit me...THIS IS HAPPENING.

As for my final track workout of this training cycle....

8x800m, I thought about 10 (true Yasso's) but knew better. I set my watch to interval workout mode and didn't look at it until I was done.

The first few felt hard, as they usually do....but once I had a few done they started flying by and before I knew it I was onto my last one. I definitely had 2 more in me but I knew it wouldn't be smart. I was incredibly surprised, but happy at my paces for the intervals: it was definitely one of those boosts I needed. Even though my last track workout was different intervals (5x1000m, 4x400m) I definitely felt stronger and saw improvement with this one.

Yesterday was one of those days where all the little things were adding up- one of those days where I knew something was coming. I'm one of those people that pays attention to the little details, and I have learned over the years that those little things mean way more than the big things.

Some of the little things: ordering my marathon race day outfit from Saucony (like you didn't see that coming), talking to Heather about how we are going to put beer in our gear bags so we can  celebrate at the finish line together after we both PR, Chatting with Hollie about random running things, Finding out that my friend Joe is indeed going to help run me in the last few miles keeping me pushing, a few email conversations with some of my favorite inspirational bloggers, the fact that my trucker mouth was on overdrive, NAILING my workout.....you know those little things. Oh, and Bart Yasso RT me. THAT JUST HAPPENED.

All those little things made me feel like I got smacked in the forehead with a sign that says- relax, it's OFFICIALLY taper time. No more tempo runs, no more track workouts, only 1 more double digit run, this folks is what we call the home stretch.

Now it's time to remind myself over and over....AND OVER that the work is done and I need to take it easy. It's hard to take it easy. I know I am not the only one who struggles with this, Heather just talked about it yesterday. We both are aiming for PR's at Wineglass so as hard as it is, we KNOW what we need to do between now and race day.

I wrote a few posts about my taper emotions before Cleveland Marathon earlier this year, I went back and re-read them last night and found myself laughing. You can read "Lesson's From the Taper" and "Stages of Grief: Taper Edition" if you have nothing else better to do than laugh at the hot mess of things that go through my head while tapering for a marathon.

Officially hung the flats up last night, and they wont be laced up until 10.6.13.

It's time to relax and enjoy the parts about taper that you CAN enjoy (like the eating, sleeping more, general laziness, playlist making, etc.). Accepting the taper is not easy, but accepting defeat after a race you weren't rested enough for is harder. 

Oh and I highly recommend earlier fall marathons like this- because while you are being lazy in bed at night, all the TV shows are having their season premiers. Just throwing that out there. 

What fall TV show premiers are you watching?

(I can't describe my excitement for Scandal, among others)

[Did anyone else watch the series premier of The Blacklist the other night?]

Do you look at the little things for the signs, or does it take something big for you?

Have you ever met a famous runner/athlete?

[I have met Katherine Switzer before which was amazing, but I am really excited to meet Bart Yasso at Wineglass!]