Final Weeks and Tapery Goodness

Is it just me, or is nearly every running blogger out there in taper land right now? And am I the only one that doesn't mind taper?  I love running but frankly its so nice to feel like the "worst" of training is over. In fact, this is the first time I have had a glimpse into the difference between running and training. Running = fun. Training = kiiiinda fun+hard work. Kind of like when your dad tried to convince you that chopping and loading wood in the freezing cold Wombat Forest (yes, thats its real name) for your ancient wood stove (yes, my parents still cook with a wood stove) could be made fun by the addition of a freezing-cold camping expedition and/or jam (jelly) donuts. Ok, so maybe the donuts worked a little. I guess in my running world, training has been made exponentially more fun by the jam-donut-equivalent of cute running gear and snazzy shoes. Like these babies that arrived a couple of weeks ago:

The new Mizuno Inspire 9s... lighter and brighter. Love em!

Haaaanyway, new kicks aside, I have actually had a lot of fun these last 12 weeks since Philly. I feel really proud at what I have asked of my legs, and what they have given me in return. I started the cycle thinking that I could finish a mile or two under 7 minutes, and at the end of the cycle could run 6 miles under 7 minutes. I am also proud of our (Kristen and my) commitment to training hard but SMART. Knowing when to push and when to hold back to avoid injury. I feel like most of my posts reference injury in some way, but I have read about soooo many elite runners that almost, but didn't, make it to the top; not because of a lack of talent or commitment, but because they were sidelined by injury and missed their chances.  Im no elite, but I am definitely not willing to miss out on opportunity to PR, or even just have a great run, because I was too stubborn to rest when necessary.

So my last two weeks of training/taper before we're off to run the Vegas RnR Half!

November 19-25, 2012
Monday: rest after my longest run ever :)
Tuesday: 70 mins easy elliptical in place of easy run. I decided to only do key workouts to ensure my hamstring/ butt issue didn't reappear before the race. I used my heart rate monitor to keep it in an aerobic zone - around 150 or so (60-75%).
Wednesday: Speed workout on treadmill with 1% incline. Same workout as previous week: 1 mile easy, 6x1Ks at 6:22 (9.4 on tready) (which is somewhere around my likely 5k pace, I think) 1 mile easy cool down. I lengthened the last couple of ks to about 0.7-0.8 miles. Great workout, but I had a little gas left in the tank at the end, which Ive heard is optimal for your last couple of speed sessions.
Thursday:  65 mins elliptical, upper body strength
Friday: My last tempo run! The workout was suggested by Jake at Wasatch and Beyond. It was 1x3 miles, 1 x 2 miles at HM pace, then 1x1mile at 10K pace. My splits were 6:56, 6:57, 6:49, 6:57, 7:00 (the pitch black mile) and 6:40. I ran the 7:00 in pitch black! I was a little bit disappointed in my splits, but I think it went pretty well, considering the cold/dark/wind etc.
Saturday: Elliptical 60 mins, with leg strength + a little plyo.
Sunday: Elliptical 90 mins easy in place of a long run (I had some foot pain from running my 18-miler in new shoes... duh, rookie move.)

November 26 - Race Day!
Monday: rest
Tuesday: Final Speed workout. 6 miles, with 2x1 mile at 10K pace (6:31 or 9.2mph) on treadmill at 1% incline. This workout was a little challenging, but I felt very comfortable and could have done more, which is what I was aiming for.
Wednesday: Elliptical, easy 40 mins + arm workout
Thursday (today): 6 miles easy

And for the remainder of the week... rest until the race!

Penny