Week 13 / Welcome to Taper Hell

Week 13 2010:
Week’s Running totals: 48
Running Total for 2010: 550.45
Weight training: 2
Swim: 0

Taper madness has begun: my back hurts, my knee hurts and my head is spinning. Yep, I’d say everything’s right on course!

I’m always edgy during taper; perhaps it’s the excess energy, usually expended in miles now turned into restlessness. This, combined with a heavy dose of worry as I sit and question everything: my training, my abilities (or lack thereof), my nutrition, my aching back, my now aching left knee, and mostly my sanity. I have done all the work I can squeeze in, now it’s time to take this taper and mitigate the worries.

I worry about race day jitters, my aching back (do they make battery operated heating pads? Or do extension cords come in 26.2 mile lengths?), the curious throb in my knee, the taper nutrition, the race day hydration, the night before the race sleep, the night before the night before sleep, race pace, stomach cramps, weather, bonking and crashing at mile 17 when the hills hit hard. I worry about catching germs at school and staying away from as many as I can, I worry about my Denver to Boston flights and missing my connection in DC in time to get my race packet on Saturday, and I worry about being away from my boys for 4 days while I venture to the other side of the good ole U.S. of A.

I worry about letting people down who have believe in me and have supported me though this incredible, yet heartbreaking, journey o f mine. My family at home, my friend here and scattered across the nation, and mostly you bloggie friends who have been the absolute BEST support system out there – ever! I know that’s not a good thing, but I always run better when I know I’m going to bring a smile on someone’s face for doing job well-done.

My taper includes a great mental preparedness. Every approaching marathon (this will be #15) feels like final exam week….like a countdown until I have a serious evaluation of the lessons taught in recent months. A marathon, no matter how many I've done, is never easy for me. A marathon is like one of those prime workshops for me, I have always been one who learns by the book but must practice in order to become. For me, it’s not about muscle strength, lung capacity and facing fear – these things are daunting enough as it is. The true lessons for me are always the soulful lessons of the heart, and I never know the Professor well enough to know what questions will be asked of me.

Jilly, it’s mile 17 and the infamous Newton hills are around the corner. Your back is killing you and you know last year you nearly died a fast death at mile 22. Do you:
1) Have a complete melt-down, panic and start walking
2) Pretend to gag on a GU so you have a valid excuse to slow to a snail’s pace.
3) Trust your abilities to handle the upcoming hills.
4) Crank up your iPod, put your head down, and start praying.
5) 2 and 4.
6) All the above.
Oh yea, testing anxiety never really goes away for me, even as an adult. Trials come hard and fast and unexpected, as they do in life (a loss of a job, a separation, a sick child, a loss of a loved one, a friend’s sorrow, anything…). I want to be doing the best I can with what I have before me, in my running and in my life. Have I trained to the best of my ability in this Boston journey? No. And that scares me. But I know I can do it and when the test comes, all I want now is the courage to be ready!

“There comes a point in the race when you alone will need to decide. You will need to make a choice. Do you really want it? You need to decide.” - Rolf Arands

T-minus 2 weeks and counting. Godspeed to everyone out there running the Boston marathon….or whatever race you’re running -- be it a marathon or a 5K or just another one of life’s test that’s thrown at you, may you have the courage to be ready to accept it!

Finally, Jennifer gave me the "Super Support Award" - what a sweetie. Thanks, Jennifer!! :) I think about 3 boxes of tissues will fill my 34A's just fine!!

I am so far behind in blog world, sorry! I'm back at work tomorrow (sigh) and can get caught up. ;)

And finally in other news, my client, Brian, ran his very first race yesterday - a 1/2 marathon trail run in Indiana. He rocked it!!!! He remained calm at the start and listened to me to stay back at the start and was picking off people left and right at the end. You ROCK, Brian - way to go!! So very proud!

Here’s a few pictures from my days in Boston last year! Enjoy!!

My neighborhood girlfriends threw a little "good luck" dinner (me in the gray shirt)

Arrived in Boston, my first day there, with my besty girlfriend, Karen, from Iowa

Trying on the race shirt to see how it fits (is this the ugliest color ever? At least I can wear it in on an evening run and be seen!)

A guy at the expo rolling out my tight hammy with "the stick" - oh man, that hurt!

Boston Finish line on Bolyston Street

A Redsox game on my birthday, the day before Boston!

Walking home from Fenway; I loved this street with it's gorgeous rowhouses

The banners which filled the lampposts

My favorite rowhouse. It has violet-colored window panes in many places

My dear friend, Elaine, and I at the expo (again). She qualified for Boston on her very first marathon. She is awesome!

Entering Athletes' Village (now the 2-hour wait begins. UGH!)

Making my way to my corral (18). Massive hoards of people!

About a half mile to go. Yea, it looks like it huh???

Texting isn't easy to do when it's freaking freezing and I am dead!

Very proud of this medal!

Post race celebration upon return to Denver with some dear girlfriends (me in the white shirt)

Opp, this one got out of order. This was a huge banner that was drapped somewhere along the course. People could write on it and my friend from Iowa, Karen, wrote that nice little heart. I never saw the banner on the course, I have no idea where it hung.