>Anyone who knows me knows that I hate running on treadmills. The weather in Illinois this week is, for lack of a better word, just crappy. Rain, thunderstorms, and chilly! I wouldn’t mind the storms so much if it were at least 60*. But, no luck there.
The taper is a strange phenomenon.. I’m not really supposed to be running hard, and I’m supposed to cut back on mileage, although no more than 50% than normal (~30 miles). It feels strange to rest so much. I did not want to go to the gym to run tonight. I did pack my gym bag this morning and take it with me, so I had no excuse.
I feel like even after cutting an activity out of my schedule I’m still so busy. But one thing that’s kept me working out even when there’s a list of things to do is to remember that my workout time is time for me, when I improve my health and spend time with myself. I’m worth it, and so are you. Make time for your health!
Then I got on the dreadmill, er, treadmill. My lower legs ached a bit from my new shoes, but I kept truckin’ on. Then this skinny girl hopped on the treadmill next to me and I’d be darned if she outran me. So I outran her, and eventually pushed to an 8:00 mile for the last 200 meters. Felt good! My “comfortable” pace is now around 9:40, as opposed to 10:00-10:15 a few months ago.
I cannot believe the marathon is only ten days away! Our last “long” run of eight miles is this weekend.. I remember when Gabi and I first ran eight miles.. that seems like such a long time ago!
This next week, nutrition and hydration will be crucial. It’s also time to start figuring out the details for driving down to Cham-bana, parking, picking up packets, etc. I’m starting to get really excited, and I’m envisioning myself putting that 26.2 sticker on my car. Eat my dust.
