April 9th: Two Days of Tapering

One of the weird things about running is that, sometimes, what's supposed to be easy is hard, and sometimes, what's supposed to be hard is pretty easy.

First, the supposed-to-be-easy:  With the brain yesterday, I headed to PF for an easy 5 on the belt. It was horrible. The air in the gym was sticky and static, and I just couldn't get into a rhythm. Despite running 9:35s, I was just praying for it to end. And when it did, I was a sweaty mess.

Good day, sunshine!

Today I'd originally planned to go to WOW, but a hectic morning put the kibosh on that. It was 41 degrees at 6:30, so I decided on an outdoor run instead. My schedule called for a pace 4, so it seemed like a reasonable time to take the dog. Even wrestling the leash, I wound up way under race pace. First two were around 8:37 each, and the final two were under 8:00. Wound up finishing in 33:00. Then I through in a couple of planks and a set of bicycle crunches for good measure. And I feel great.

It's hard to find consensus on the finer points of tapering. Some experts would say today's run was too fast and is going to be to my detriment. Others say that you should reduce distance but keep up intensity. And I've even read one person who wouldn't have me in the taper yet. So I think the best thing is to be sure I feel fresh, and that will let me know if I'm going too hard or not hard enough.

Tomorrow looks like an easy 5 -- the challenge will be in regulating my pace. Rest Friday and 12 on Saturday.

Total miles since starting the blog: 578.3