Trying to rock my taper

Okay, so I have exactly 10 minutes to give you an update...and I'm not a fast writer but I'll try...

• Last week was my first taper week, and ended up with 54 miles.
• I had 3 workouts: 2 x 10 mile MP, and 3x1 mile faster than 5K interval. All 3 workouts went well, but I was sore after the interval workout, which may (or may not) be because I ran it the day after one of my MP workouts. Stupid. Oh well.
• According to what I've read (like yesterday) right now I should be aiming for 2 easy days to each workout day (not 2 workout days to an easy day). Okay, lesson learned. I'll be sure to do that that this week.
• This week I'll be running 45 miles: 1 "long" run (10 miles) and 1 interval and everything else super easy (and shorter). The interval is suppose to be 6 x 800's at 5K pace. I will probably run the 800 workout slower and make it closer to a Yasso 800 workout, which shouldn't leave me sore.
• It's sort of sad, but my 10 minutes is almost up.  
• Life is generally good. We carved a jack-o-lantern this weekend, which was fun. According to Kaylee the best part is "scooping the guts." I use "we" loosely. The kids scooped guts for about half an hour. There was more playing in the slimy pumpkin guts than actual scooping. Eventually they got bored. Eventually. At which point, I scooped the remaining innards and carved away. The whole time Kaylee was asking "when will you be finished mommy?" (No pressure.)
• I'm not super nervous about the marathon. Yet. I do have lingering doubts some days. What if my legs aren't rested enough? What if I get sick? What if I die at mile 16 again? What if my legs fall off? (Because that could totally happen.) All pretty typical. It's generally not within my personality to be a head case though, so my doubts are more like passing thoughts than really lingering. Overall, I think I'm in good shape...
• Hope everyone else is doing well! I read a few people had marathon PR's this past weekend! Congrats!

Here's our super scary jack-o-lantern!

Shhhh...lean closer, I want to tell you a secret

No, not really, but there's something interesting I heard about a year ago but forgot (of course) to blog about it. For awhile, I was running with someone from work who runs a ton of marathons and also happens to do the Iron Man too. She volunteers at the Boston Marathon, and somehow she scored the mega awesome volunteer status of working in the elite tent. She gets the elite runners whatever they want after they finish the race.

Any guesses as to what all the elite runners want after they finish a marathon? Water? Soda? A nap? Apparently, it's hot coffee, which sounded absolutely awful to me when she said it. Seriously? It's not like Boston is a winter marathon. Also, I generally feel nauseous after finishing a marathon, and coffee sounds really icky to me when my stomach is churning.

During my last marathon training cycle (Providence this past May), I decided to give coffee after long runs a try. It was sort of hard because my stomach is generally unhappy after a 20 miler, but I figured these elite runners must know something that I don't. Well, it turns out I really liked it, and I don't know if coffee has anything to do with it, but I have a lot less nausea now too. Could just be a coincidence too, I do run more long runs now.

Now I'm wondering if everyone out there knew about coffee after long runs? What do you drink or eat after a marathon of long run?

In other news, I'm now officially entering the three weeks of taper before the big race day! Though I don't think the first week will feel much like a taper, but still, I'm almost there! Last week I finished my peak week with 76 miles and my last long run was 23 miles at 7:47 pace. I did two marathon pace runs last week that were both 11 miles. Overall, it was a solid week of running, and I'm still in one piece too! Yay! Now I just need to hold it together for three weeks. ;)

Some updates and thoughts bullet style!

Warning this is totally random...

• Here I am with my two little ladies after my 20 miler last week. We were at our favorite art museum that includes a cool sculpture park.
• Two weeks ago was tough. After being inhaler free for several months, my asthma came back with a vengeance. I took off three days from running, did eventually start feeling better, and wound up being able to run a 20 miler that Sunday at 8:02 pace. The week ended with 47 miles, which isn't so bad. 
• Last week was much better. I ended up with 60 miles. This week will be my last build week and my last loooong run. Next week I start tapering! Woo hoo!
• I hate the Kinvara 3s. I found a pair of Kinvara 2s online, and have had no issues with them. Stupid shoes. Why do they always feel the need to change a good thing?
• Kaylee loves school so much she cried last weekend when she couldn't go on Saturday and Sunday. She is definitely an intense child. I have no idea where she gets that from...  ;)
• This has been my best marathon training cycle. I have no idea what that will mean on race day, but it should be interesting at the very least.
• I've been experimenting with a few new workouts. Well, new to me anyway. Every couple weeks I try to do some variation of 6 x 1 mile repeats at 10K pace. Last week I did 6 x 7 minutes at slightly faster than 10K pace with 2 minute jogs in between intervals. (7 minutes is more than a mile for me.) I did it, but it really was hard. And why is this workout worth my time? I don't know. A few years ago I read something about Dean Karnazes (I think) saying that was an awesome marathon training workout. So I'm trying to figure out just how awesome it is for me.
• I've also been experimenting with another workout. It's mile repeats at marathon pace. Boring I know, but a fast friend suggested 8-10 1 mile repeats at marathon pace. I completely ignored the suggestion at first, but I've found that it's a very interesting workout to run the day after a super long run. Interesting in that it's really really hard, but doable (most of the time). I take 2 minute rest jogs at (or slightly faster than 8:00 min pace) in between intervals. Mentally it's easier than a regular marathon pace run, but in the end it's really not much slower than a MP run.
• During this training cycle I've lost a little weight. I wasn't trying, but increasing from 40 miles to 70 miles must have led to a calorie deficit. Don't worry. I'm still not skinny. I just went from a 22.5 BMI to a 21.5. Just something to note. With society being so weight crazy, I hate to even mention it, but I suppose it could make a difference on race day.
• I haven't been posting much. There are a ton of things floating around my brain, but at night when I would have time to post something, I wind up spending my time with Nick. And that's a good thing. It just means I'm left with little posting time.
• I got into Boston. I hope everyone else did too!

Registered for Boston

I am in a total blogging funk. I go back and forth. Keep the blog alive or just ditch it? I love that blogging has given me the opportunity to meet other lady runners that may also have kids and are near me in age, but...I don't know...I'd rather have all you ladies live nearby and run with me (or guys, that would be fine too). Then we could train together and chat in the real world. Obviously, that's not happening anytime soon, so I'm stuck with a blog. C'est la vie, right?

Miss Kaylee had a successful first week of Kindergarten. She successfully got everyone in the family sick. In less than a week. She's also quite happy with school and has adjusted just fine. I just wish she wasn't so ambitious with her germ spreading. You can probably tell from her first day of school photo (over on the left) that she was ready to go. She did admit to being a tiny bit nervous, but I told her that would probably happen at the beginning of every year, and as far as I know, is pretty typical. She seemed okay with that explanation.

Let's see, from a training perspective things have been okay. I had some schedule issues last week, missed one day of running and as a result wound up with a 60 mile week (with a good amount of MP running). That's the problem with trying to maintain 60-75 miles a week. One missed day (without a super long run planned) and you can barely make it to 60 (or at least I can barely make it to 60). And, because I am being beat down by this illness I've already missed one day this week. Ugh. Also, I have a three hour and ten minute long run planned for this Sunday, which may or may not happen depending on how the week unfolds. I already had to refill all my asthma medications after being free of them for almost eight months. Kids. And their germs. It's a good thing they're so cute and lovable.

In other news, I registered for Boston today. I don't have an official you got in letter yet, but I'm pretty sure I'll get in. I almost convinced myself not to register. Almost. I had declared to Nick over the weekend that I wouldn't be registering. He just sort of raised his eyebrows. You know, like a "really, who do you think you're fooling look?" Then I went running with my co-worker today, and it was, of course, the first question she asked me. "Did you register?" Then I had to explain that I wasn't going to run it. I was tired of training, and running lots of miles, and being sick, and blah blah blah. But after running with her I decided that I might regret not registering later (this will be my first Boston), and so I spoke with Nick (who gave me an "I knew it!"), and then I registered for Boston. So there you have it. I've registered for my next marathon before I've run the marathon that I'm currently training for. And that my friends, sounds crazy. But in a good way, right?