Alright, I am ready, it's going to be a long week of rest

Dear James, Daniel and Emily

Weekend Run

I am ready, or as ready as I can be, for the Half Marathon. I have a week of rest until then. I know that technically I could probably get in a short run or 2 this week and still be tapering properly. But I have 2 things at work for experience. First, last year I probably got a little carried away the week before the race last year. Second, before my 10 mile race this year I was forced to take the week off to rest up my leg that I had somehow hurt. And those 2 experiences showed me that the thing I probably need to focus on, in addition to training up to the desired distance, is that my body needs to be as fresh as possible.

Because if there was one thing I took to heart from running the half marathon last year is that the endurance really plays a bigger part than I thought. Just running that long of a distance, running for over 2 hours, asks a lot of your body. And one of the things that it asks is that you somehow stay relatively fresh for such a long time, much longer than anything else most people will ever do. I just didn't really grasp that, particularly the impact that being in a race environment, where I psychologically want to keep up with those around me. I didn't grasp how taxing that would be.

So last year I ran a relatively long run pretty close to the race. Then the day before we went to the State Fair, which meant a lot of walking around, and then not getting as much sleep as I really should have. All of those things I am seeking to avoid this year. Sunday was the last major exercise for me until the race. I will probably do some morning walks the rest of the week, just enough to warm up & then stretch again. Then this Sunday we are hosting a pot luck, so I won't be doing much walking around & I should be able to get to bed at a reasonable time.

It all boils down to what can I do to have an enjoyable race, and feel good about how I do. That's what is the most important thing. I am under no delusion that I will be setting records. I know, from last year, that I can finish, now I just want to make it a good time, and with a result I can be proud of.