Reach the Beach -- Part 3

Sorry for the suspense. But, the report was a lot longer than I thought as I wrote it down. So, we met Van #1 at the Sanborn Town Hall a little after noon. We had actually got a little rest at Bear Brook State Park. We were having a lot of laughs in the van. For a group of people who really didn’t know on another, we had really become a team quickly. As strange as it may seem, we were actually having great fun on this crazy journey to Hampton Beach.

Dan took the handoff from John for the longest of our last six legs. He had a 6.69 mile course that had a steep uphill climb before a long downhill portion. We headed out to meet him about 3 miles into the run to give him some water. The weather had really become beautiful with clear skies and sunshine. After giving Dan his water, we headed to the transition area where I would take my last handoff for my short run through downtown Exeter.

I waited in the transition area for Dan to appear. I was tired and hungry. But, I was really pumped up for my last leg. It was going to be a short 2.2 miles on a fairly flat course. I wanted to just blow it out and run across the transition line with absolutely nothing left in the tank. I felt like I needed to make up for the less than stellar performance on my second leg.

Dan came through the transition area strong and handed it off to me. I put the pedal to the metal and headed off. I am not really sure where the energy came from but it was there deep inside of me. My turnover was quick and I wasn’t having any trouble with my breathing. I did feel stiff and my legs did feel heavy. However, it didn’t seem to be slowing me down. I was flying through town and feeling really good despite the sleep depravation and lack of real recovery between runs.

In what seemed like a minute, I was on the final downhill portion of the leg to the transition area. I picked my pace up even more wanting to finish strong. I could see Helene dancing and jumping at the transition point. I push it and ran to her handing off the wristband. I walked out of the transition area and knew I had nothing left. For a brief moment, I wasn’t sure I could make it back to the van. Of course, I made it fine and we headed out to meet Helene and finish the last 3 legs.

When we finally dropped Derek off to transition into the 36th and final leg of the race, we were ecstatic. We had persevered. We knew Derek would give it his all. So, we quickly headed down to the Town of Hampton and Hampton Beach State Park. The traffic was really thick. We wanted to get there before Derek as the team gets to run across the finish line together. We certainly didn’t want to miss that moment after all of these hours of effort.

Somehow, we finally reached the beach! We parked and hustled over to the finish line area. We didn’t have to wait long for Derek to come in. The 12 team members of Raging Waters gathered around him and slowly jogged across the finish line. After high fives, hugs and getting our medals, we headed over to van one to have a well earned beer and a toast to our success. We had done it. We had reached the beach.

We didn’t know our time when we left to head home. We knew we had beat our goal time. On Monday, I receive the following (edited down somewhat) from our team captain, John Heder:

Congratulations to all Running Waters & Raging Waters for successful completion of the 2009 Reach the Beach Relay. Both teams showed a significant improvement in both pace and overall time for this year’s race. The weather was great with the exception of the first 2 Ragers (John & Justin) who got soaked at the beginning but cleared the way for clearer (but cooler) skies for the rest of the teams.

All runners did well and completed each of their legs with great times with the exception of the two team captains who interestingly enough dropped out (first time in Waters RTB history) at the exact same point 5 miles into their third run (leg 25). Denise bravely ran on her broken foot (stress fracture) after completing 5 of her nine mile uphill run. The fact that she could hardly walk but still completed the toughest part of her third run definitely makes her a Raging Waters runner next year!

John (me) had karma intervene and force him to drop at the same 5 mile point due to sickness. My apologies for being such a zombie this year or for infecting any of my fellow Ragers. Denise and I were both fortunate to have to well trained (hopefully) ironman tri-athletes next in rotation who completed the rest of the captains leg and then continued on to run their assigned leg as well. Many thanks to Joe & Justin for helping their respective teams!

I would like to thank Denise for most of the organizing activities and logistics associated with this year’s race and for the generous use of the NH house used by 15 of the runners. Many thanks to Ted & Pete for the use of their vans and to Justin for his Redneck truck used by ½ the Ragers and the mighty Goliath! Many thanks and congratulations to all of the newbies who completed their first RTB! We’ve learned in the past that we should not ask about next year until this year’s sore and tired muscles (and broken bones) are fully recovered.

Raging Waters

Overall Place: 108

Division Place: 8/22 Men's Corporate Open

Total Time: 27:28:07

Pace per Mile: 7:56

Vs Goal: 1:09:19 ahead of schedule with 25 seconds/mile faster than estimate!!!

Running Waters

Overall Place: 236

Division Place: 7/10 Corporate Mixed Open

Total Time: 29:11:50

Pace per Mile: 8:26

Vs Goal: 1:36:35 ahead of schedule with 28 seconds/mile faster than estimate!!!

What a race! I am already thinking about how I can be part of the Waters team again next year. If for some reason they don’t need runners, I will need to find another team to run with. It was a unique experience. I am reminded of the quote, “The race is not always to the swift, but to those who keep on running.” That is how I prefer to think about it. I am never going to break the tape in any race. But, I am going to keep on running.

I needed to take a real recovery week after the Reach the Beach relay. Until I went out for my first run after the race, I did not know how sore I was after the effort. Here are my training totals:

Sept. 27 – 10.10 miles (1:30:05, 8:55 pace)
Sept. 29 – 6.10 miles (52:35, 8:37 pace)
Sept. 30 – 3.10 miles (25:55, 8:21 pace) – Speed work
Oct. 1 – 6.20 miles (50:54, 8:12 pace)
Oct. 2 – 8.00 miles (1:08:39, 8:35 pace)

Total Miles: 33.50 miles
2009 YTD Miles: 1,551.76 miles

Enjoy this video of our running across the finish line!!

Reach the Beach 2009 -- Part 2

Getting out of a van in the pitch black darkness of a New Hampshire night to run 9.2 miles is not something a normal runner would do. But, as most of you know, I am no normal runner. As I started off, I knew I had one of the most difficult legs of the race in front of me. The description of the leg warned me that there was very little shoulder to the road and that the road surface was rough. Not only that but there would be a 910 foot elevation gain over the first 5 miles of the leg.

The first ½ mile wasn’t too bad except for the stiffness in my legs after having sat in a van for several hours before my run. I was tired from a lack of sleep and I hadn’t really had anything to eat. I can’t run after eating anything. So, I did not eat before I headed out for my second leg. I was lulled into a false sense of security in the first ½ mile because it is a slight down hill before heading up. When I got to the point that the elevation was starting to steepen, I thought, “I conquered Heartbreak Hill. How bad could this be?” Little did I know.

My goal was to run a consistent 8:30 pace on the uphill portion of the leg and then pick it up the last 3.5 miles to allow me to come in around 1 hour and 10-15 minutes. Although the actual grade was not as steep as the Newton Hills of the Boston Marathon, the hill seemed to never end. Whenever I would reach what I thought was the top of the long hill, I would look up and see another hill in front of me. All I could see in front of me were the flashing red lights of the other runner’s safety vests. They looked like they were ascending into the sky. I couldn’t let my team down and pushed on.

After about the 4th mile, I looked at my watch to see where I was on my pace. I felt like I was running in quicksand. I knew I was behind pace. The look at my watch confirmed it. I was running at a 9:00 minute pace. If I stayed at this pace, I would lose a chunk of the time we had gained so far. I also realized that I would not be able to hit the original team goal for this leg of 1 hour and 20 minutes. The problem was I simply couldn’t go any faster on this long hill. I tried to pick up the pace. It just wasn’t happening. I decided to push as hard as I could and see what I had left in the tank when I hit the last 3.7 miles (downhill) to the next transition area at the Gilmanton School.

About this time, my teammates were parked along the road and had a fresh water bottle for me. They encouraged me. They said I was looking good and they couldn’t believe how well I was doing on this tough leg. I think they too were delirious from lack of sleep. I thanked them and told them to meet me another 2 miles up the way so I could get one more sip of water before I would need to pick up the pace to the finish. They agreed and left me there in the dark to trudge on. And trudge on I did.

Miraculously, I reached the apex of the hill finally and it started to level off. I began to increase my turnover and didn’t feel any ill affects from the long slog up the hill. I actually was starting to feel pretty good. My pace quickened nicely. I actually started to pass other runners. In fact, as I passed one runner who seemed to be struggling a bit, I said, “Looking good! Keep it up!” His response was, “It’s too early to be running that fast.”

Up ahead, I could see the van and my water break before I would finish what I thought would be the last 1.5 miles. I drank my water, thanked my teammates and headed off. What surprised me was that as I crested the little hill, I could see the transition area and the end of my run. The adrenaline kicked in and I hoofed it to the transition area where I handed it off to Helene for her next leg. I had finished one of the hardest runs I have ever attempted. I felt great despite the fact that it was cold and dark.

As I walked back to where the van was waiting for me, I dreaded looking at my watch. I knew I had missed the goal time and felt bad about it. I hit the light on my watch and was shocked at what I saw – 1:20:36. Somehow I had managed to pick up the pace enough on the downhill portion to come in only 36 seconds behind the team’s goal for this leg. I didn’t hit my personal goal. But, I was ecstatic that I didn’t give back any of our lead.

I changed out of my wet clothes. We all piled back into the van to head off to the next transition area to meet Helene. I slipped into my sleeping bag in the far back seat and tried to take a little nap. I did doze off a little as we travelled along the last three legs of our second set of runs. We finished around 8:15 am at the Vehicle Transition Area (VTA) #2 – Bear Brook State Park. We had a hot breakfast provided by the Allentown Fire Department for a mere $5. Then we grabbed some much needed rest on the field before we had to head down to VTA #3 at the Sanborn Town Hall.

When we met Van #1 at the Sanborn Town Hall, we had 6 more legs to go to the finish line at Hampton Beach. We were still well ahead of our goal. The key now was to be able to hold onto it. We all felt good about it and were really excited to get in our last runs.

I needed to take a real recovery week after the Reach the Beach relay. Until I went out for my first run after the race, I did not know how sore I was after the effort. Here are my training totals:

Sept. 14 – 6.10 miles (52:51, 8:39 pace)

Sept. 15 – 6.50 miles (55:56, 8:36 pace)

Sept. 16 – 3.10 miles (27:00, 8:41 pace)

Sept. 18 – 6.61 miles (52:25, 7:55 pace) – Leg 1 of Reach the Beach

Sept. 19 – 9.25 miles (1:20:36, 8:43 pace) – Leg 2 of Reach the Beach

Sept. 19 – 2.20 miles (15:59, 7:16 pace) – Leg 3 of Reach the Beach

Sept. 22 – 6.00 miles (53:27, 8:54 pace)
Sept. 23 – 4.00 miles (34:35, 8:38 pace)
Sept. 26 – 8.00 miles (1:08:22, 8:32 pace)

Total Miles: 51.76 miles

2009 YTD Miles: 1,518.26 miles

Reach the Beach 2009 -- Part 1

When I told my friends and family that I was going to run as part of a 12 member relay team in the Reach the Beach Relay race, they asked me if I was crazy. Who would want to run and rotate through 36 transition areas covering 206 miles all within a 24 hour period? I responded that it may be crazy but it sure sounds like fun.

After getting home at about 8:00 pm on Saturday night, I realized that it was a bit crazy. But, the Urban Dictionary defines crazy in such a way you can begin to understand a runner’s mind. It also happened to be very good description of the people on my team.

Crazy (from urbandictionary.com)

1. Often misinterpreted as a bad characteristic, crazy is used to describe people that are random, hyper, creative, and flat out fun to hang with. (adj.);

2. Often used by people to describe what they do not understand or think is not how something or someone should be and or act.

What is the Reach the Beach relay? It is advertised as a Running Relay Adventure Race. This could not be a better description of this race. “The Reach the Beach (RTB) Relay is the longest distance running relay race in the United States. The RTB Relay will take place in picturesque New Hampshire during the start of the New England foliage season” (from rtbrelay.com). The course this year started at Cannon Mountain in Franconia, New Hampshire and the finish line was 206 miles away at Hampton Beach State Park in Hampton, New Hampshire.

I was runner #8 on the Raging Waters team. We had entered as a Men’s Corporate Open team because we only had 2 women of our 12 runners. To run as a Corporate Mixed Open team you have to have 6 men and 6 women. But, I have to say our 2 women runners were awesome. Plus they enjoyed the fact that they were able to be in a van with 5 smelly men all to themselves for a little over 27 hours. What woman doesn’t fantasize about that?

Based on our team’s estimated pace times, we had a plan to finish the race in 28 hours, 37 minutes and 26 seconds. This would mean we would be averaging 8:21 per mile. It sounded like a fairly solid goal to me and something that if we had it in us we could potentially beat. What I didn’t know at the time was how difficult the 2nd leg of this race is for all of the runners. Not to mention the 3rd leg after being sleep deprived for 24 hours. We were given our starting time of 1:40 pm on Friday which meant we would get into Hampton Beach around 6:00 pm on Saturday.

I picked up a few of our runners early Friday morning (5:30 am) because they were on the Running Waters team and had a 10:40 am start. This meant John Heden (our captain), Charles Lewis and I would be up at Cannon Mountain for several hours before our start. I thought it would be fine as it would give me time to nap before our start. Well, who knew that 399 teams and over 4,500 runners would create such a scene that you wouldn’t be able to get any shut eye. I did enjoy hanging out at the start seeing all the teams. Some had costumes and some were just having a great time before they had to start. I never got my nap in. I didn’t think too much about it. We had our team picture right before it started to rain and then headed over to watch our first runner leave the starting line on leg #1.

The race is really well run and John started off on time and headed out for his first leg of 7.95 miles (check out http://www.rtbrelay.com/course_legs.php for the legs descriptions). The first 6 legs were run by our runners in Van #1. Based on our goal time, they would be running 37.81 miles and finish in around 5 hours and 43 minutes. We had cell phones to allow Van #1 to call us and let us know if they were ahead of schedule. So, Van #2 which had Dan Lau (runner #7), me (runner #8), Helene Angley (runner #9), Bruce Metcalf (runner #10), Charles Lewis (runner #11) and Derek Clifford (runner #12) headed down to grab a decent meal before we had to meet Van #1 at the first Vehicle Transition Area (VTA) – Attitash Ski Area.

Van #1 was ahead of schedule and we finished our meal and headed up to the VTA to meet them for Dan’s and our van’s first leg of the race. They came in a good 30 minutes ahead of schedule which is a nice way to start this race. I figured we had it made and would definitely beat our time goal. Dan took the wrist band hand off and headed out for his leg which would cover 7.23 miles. We then jumped in the van to head out to transition area #7 where I would take the wrist band for my 1st leg. Our 6 runners would have to cover 31.59 miles and to hold the 30 minutes Van #1 had gained, we would have to finish in 4 hours and 23 minutes.

Dan came in strong and I was so pumped up to be running my first leg, I took off at a good clip. Unfortunately, the club sandwich and French fries I had eaten about 3 hours before were not cooperating. So, I burped my way down the road. I wanted to keep a strong pace and come in at around 8:00 per mile which I had been training for since running Boston in April. I won’t say it was easy. But, I pushed myself.

Leg #8 runs through the town of Conway. The traffic at this time of night (around 6:30 pm) was pretty thick. I had to be cautious even though I had a reflective vest with flashing red lights on it. I knew I was almost finished when I got to the center of town and the intersection of Rt. 16 and Rt. 153. I was in a groove at this point. As I crossed the road to head over to the Ham Arena and TA8, I saw our team captain John yelling for me to pick up the pace. I was filming the last ¼ mile with my flip camera and he grabbed it and told me he would film and I should focus on running. Up ahead I saw the lights of TA8 and picked up the pace to hand off to Helene. We had a smooth hand off and then I could look at my watch. I couldn’t believe what I saw…52:25! I had run the 6.61 miles at a 7:55 pace.

I didn’t have time to revel in my success as we had to get back in the van to get to TA9 and meet Helene. The balance of the transition areas went really smoothly and we finally reached VTA #2 to meet Derek as he finished his 3.87 miles through White Lake State Park. VTA #2 was crowded and crazy. But, we met Derek who handed off to John again who headed off for Van #1’s next 6 legs. We had head the pace and even picked up a few more minutes on our goal. We jumped into our van to head down to the next VTA so we could get some shut eye before we had to run our next 6 legs. Based on our current pace, we would have to be back up at 2:30 am to be ready for Dan’s next leg. It was 10:15 pm.

We headed down and found TA17 (Robbie Mills Sports Complex) where there was a large parking area and fields where some of our runners could sleep outside. It was clear and only 48 degrees. So, 3 of our guys (Bruce, Charles and Derek) slept on the ground. Helene, Dan and I slept in the van. I can’t say it was a restful sleep with the port-o-john doors slamming and vans coming in and out. But, I did catch a little shut eye before someone set off their car alarm which woke me up fully. I knew there would be no getting back to sleep at this point.

At 2:30 Derek came back to the van to get us all up and going. We had to drive down to VTA #3 at the New Hampshire Technical College. We made it in plenty of time. The weather was absolutely beautiful. The skies were clear and we could even see the Milky Way. Dan took the hand off for his 2nd leg a mere 4.33 miles. He is such a strong runner, that we had to get moving so we would have plenty of time for me to get ready at TA#19 (Belmont High School).

We made it in no time at all. Not much traffic other than vans from the race. I looked at my watch as I headed over to the hand off area – 3:50 am. This was going to be interesting. Dan came in at a good pace and handed off to me. I had one of the hardest legs ahead of me. I was going to have to run 9.23 miles with the first 5.5 miles going up hill and gaining 551 feet. Plus, I would be doing this with no food or sleep since 2:00 pm on Friday. This is what the race is all about. So, I turned on my headlamp and headed out.

I will tell you what happened in my next post. But, we had to complete 39.48 miles starting at 3:10 am. The good news is we heard there was a hot breakfast available at VTA #4 Bear Brook State Park which would have tents provided by New Balance and places to stretch out for some much needed rest. Stay tuned.

Trying to Make a Difference

It is not often that I discuss political or social issues with family or friends. I figure that my opinion is mine alone and it is not my place to foist my beliefs on others. Now and then, I do come across something that I believe is worth sharing with others. This week, Steve Runner on his Phedippidations Podcast brought up a topic and interviewed someone whose message I felt should be shared with as many people as possible. What better place than on a runner’s blog. If you are not interested in political diatribes, then stop reading this now and check back in a week when I report on my Reach the Beach Relay. But, if you want to learn something that might change your opinion about one of the running community’s biggest equipment suppliers… read on my friends.

As a Jew, I have learned the concept of Tikkun Olam (literally, "world repair"). Tikkun Olam is meant to teach us the need for social action and the pursuit of social justice in the world. It teaches us that we as human beings on this earth have a responsibility to fix what is wrong with the world around us. One way to instigate change and thus ultimately heal the world is through advocating for changes in our country’s public policy and seeking general societal change. As Jews, we believe that the world is profoundly broken and can be fixed only by human activity. Steve Runner through his Podcast introduced me to someone who is living this credo each and every day and sincerely trying to make a change in the lives of the disadvantaged. His name is Jim Keady.

“Jim Keady is the founder of Team Sweat. Team Sweat is an international coalition of consumers, investors and workers committed to ending the injustices in Nike’s sweatshops around the world. By marshalling the energy of a decade and a half of organizing on the Nike sweatshop issue, Team Sweat is striving to ensure that all workers who produce Nike products are paid a living wage. As a fellow runner, you have the power and responsibility to force Nike (and other companies who take advantage of the poor) to treat their workers with dignity and respect. Help Jim Keady and become a member of Team Sweat: to direct and encourage Nike to “just do it” and pay fair wages to their workers.” (From Steverunner.com).

Instead of me trying to describe what Jim and Team Sweat are all about, please visit his website http://www.teamsweat.org/ and/or listen to Steve’s interview with Jim at http://www.steverunner.com/ episode Fdip204. I am also including a link to a video that Jim produced that really moved me and I think will move you as well. You will find his video “Behind the Swoosh” here: http://vids.myspace.com/index.cfm?fuseaction=vids.individual&videoID=1818023932.

Steve included this quote from Sen. Robert F. Kennedy that I feel sums up why we need to care about injustices like those carried out by Nike.

"There is a discrimination in this world and slavery and slaughter and starvation. Governments repress their people; and millions are trapped in poverty while the nation grows rich; and wealth is lavished on armaments everywhere. These are differing evils, but they are common works of man. They reflect the imperfection of human justice, the inadequacy of human compassion, our lack of sensibility toward the sufferings of our fellows. But we can perhaps remember - even if only for a time - that those who live with us are our brothers; that they share with us the same short moment of life; that they seek - as we do - nothing but the chance to live out their lives in purpose and happiness, winning what satisfaction and fulfillment they can.”

To help repair the world means that Jews are not only responsible for creating a model society among ourselves but also are responsible for the welfare of society at large. Our responsibility to help repair our world can be understood as a religious mission. But it can also be viewed on both social and political terms. As a Jew, I try to live by the simple philosophy of social justice. This comes from the Jewish commandment to remember our experience as slaves and our Exodus from Egypt. Through this remembrance of our struggles back in Egypt we come to the realization that we as individuals are all harmed by oppression directed at any other group or individuals. Why not try to do something to correct these types of injustices.

For me, I have decided that I will try to get Team Sweat’s message out to as many people as possible through this blog and any other means I can think of. I will not purchase any Nike products until such time as they demonstrate that they have changed their practices. Maybe my one small voice will not make a difference. But, I have to at least try to make a difference no matter how small my individual voice may be.

Here are my training totals:

Sept. 6 – 3.60 miles (27:47, 7:43 pace) – 5K Speedwork w/½ mi warm up
Sept. 7 – 10.10 miles (1:20:58, 8:01 pace) – Tempo
Sept. 8 – 7.10 miles (1:00:10, 8:28 pace)
Sept. 9 – 8.10 miles (1:10:11, 8:39 pace)
Sept. 10 – 8.10 miles (1:10:06, 8:39 pace)
Sept. 11 – 6.10 miles (54:21, 8:54 pace)
Sept. 12 – 5.10 miles (43:54, 8:33 pace)

Total Miles: 48.20 miles

2009 YTD Miles: 1,466.50 miles

The Art of Tapering

It is less than two weeks away from my first big relay race. That means it is time for me to start thinking about tapering back my training to allow my body to recover sufficiently to allow me to perform at my peak in the Reach the Beach Relay with my Raging Waters teammates. I want to make sure I don’t let them down by being too tired and not fully recovered when I run my three legs.

What does it mean to taper? It is really very simple. As Bob Cooper put it in an article entitled “It’s Taper Time” in Runner’s World magazine, "The primary aim of the taper should be to minimize accumulated fatigue, rather than to attain additional physiological adaptations or fitness gains. In other words, it's time to chill.” It is a difficult concept to wrap your head around. Many runners don’t take the tapering phase seriously. If you don’t taper properly, it can lead to a poor performance in your race. Resting is as much a part of your training regimen as the actual workouts.

Most tapers start two weeks before the race. During this two week period you will be able to become fully recovered from your previous workouts and be completely rested for the big event. This is the time to get extra sleep. I usually try to go to bed about ½ hour earlier than normal every night during my two week tapering phase. I do this because I know I can never really get a good night’s sleep before the race. I am so keyed up thinking about the next day’s race that I toss and turn all night. The extra sleep I get during the taper is one of the most important recovery mechanisms for me. I do tend to sleep better during the taper than normally and I believe it optimizes my recovery and ultimately my performance in the race.

Other than some extra sleep, I mainly focus on my nutrition. Since I will be reducing my mileage during my tapering phase, I know that I will not be burning as many calories as I have during my peak training weeks. So, to avoid gaining any weight that I would have to lug along the route, I start to cut back on the quantity of my servings. Weight Watchers really helped me to understand portion control and it definitely helped me during my tapering phase leading up to the Boston Marathon in April. I try to avoid snack foods or high fat foods. Instead, I eat more salads and low fat meals. This way I get to the starting line feeling rested and at my ideal weight.
I have been working on a post regarding hydration that I will be posting soon. But, the final thing I do during this two week period is hydrate. There are studies that have proven that carbohydrates convert to glycogen more effectively when accompanied with the consumption of water. I am typically carrying a 32 oz Nalgene bottle with me every day and sip on it constantly. This way I stay well hydrated leading up to race day. I don’t weigh myself during this period because I know there will be extra water weight. I know that the extra water will help me be better hydrated on race day, when it will be released as my glycogen stores are burned.

Now as the three people that actually read my blog know, I train using the Brooks-Hanson Moderate Consistent Plan. This means that during the tapering phase I am still running six days a week. The only difference is that the mileage is reduced. I still do a speed session and a tempo run during the first week of the taper phase. The second week I run shorter distances and at a comfortable pace. Here is what my taper for the Reach the Beach will be:

The taper is something you should not avoid. Any extra miles you put in really are not going to enhance your performance. During the first week of the taper you will start to feel good as your mileage is reduced. Your system that enables you to complete your peak workouts is still working but you are starting to build up the energy reserves you will need on race day due to your reduced training regimen. At the end of the first week you will feel energized and want to go out and race. Remember no matter how great you feel this is not the time to test yourself.

The second week leading up to your race you will start to really feel the benefits of the rest and reduced mileage. Any nagging aches and pains will be gone. You will feel like you could run forever. Your energy will start to increase each day and you will start to feel the need to get out there and run. Follow your schedule and do not add any additional work outs because you are feeling so strong. Keep in mind the race is where you want to put it all on the line not some 6 or 8 mile training run.

Tapering is not easy for any runner. As your body starts to recover, the system that responds to the stress of your workouts starts to shut down. But to properly rest and recover you need to let the system shut down and reboot. Sometimes during my taper phase, I feel a little sluggish and that my fitness level is suffering. From what I have read, this is a normal reaction to the system recovering. I just remind myself that this feeling is nothing more than my body repairing itself and getting ready for my big effort two weeks out.

I can only recommend that during this period take naps, reduce your overall workload (both at work and home). Don’t fill your free time from your reduced training with something else. Rest means rest. As you get closer to your race, get more and more sleep, eat good meals and just put your feet up and do nothing. If you can do all of these things you will arrive at the starting line charged up and ready to kick some serious asphalt.

Here are my training totals:

Aug. 16 – 10.10 miles (1:26:30, 8:33 pace)
Aug. 17 – 6.10 miles (51:04, 8:22 pace)
Aug. 18 – 3.60 miles (27:40, 7:37 pace) – 5K Speedwork w/½ mi warm up
Aug. 20 – 7.10 miles (57:21, 8:05 pace) – Tempo
Aug. 22 – 10.00 miles (1:33:00, 9:18 pace)
Aug. 24 – 6.10 miles (52:25, 8:35 pace)
Aug. 25 – 3.60 miles (29:10, 8:06 pace) – 5K Speedwork w/½ mi warm up
Aug. 27 – 7.10 miles (57:09, 8:03 pace) – Tempo
Aug. 28 – 6.20 miles (53:28, 8:37 pace)
Aug. 29 – 10.00 miles (1:25:25, 8:32 pace)
Aug. 31 – 6.20 miles (51:37, 8:19 pace)
Sep. 1 – 3.60 miles (28:24, 7:53 pace) – 5K Speedwork w/½ mi warm up
Sep. 3 – 7.10 miles (57:13, 8:03 pace) – Tempo
Sept. 4 – 6.20 miles (50:26, 8:08 pace)
Sept. 5 – 8.10 miles (1:05:28, 8:04 pace)

Total Miles: 101.10 miles

2009 YTD Miles: 1,418.30 miles