Almost there

Week 15 turned out to be the kind of week I wish I had earlier in my training instead of toward the end.

A full professional schedule, new commitments, a trial Capoeira class, and my attempt at having a social life left me incredibly tired. Mustering the energy to run after work was a challenge. On Thursday, I gave up and decided to bike instead. On Friday (which has been full of pasta and alcohol-free for many months now), I indulged in a work happy hour to celebrate coworkers' promotions and raises (including my own). We went to L'Enfant Cafe, and I had the most delicious crepe and two glasses of wine. (Yeah, not exactly part of the marathoner's diet.)

But, Saturday's run still felt incredible, and I ran 17 beautiful miles without much trouble. And, today's 4 mile recovery run was perfect. (I love the crispness of fall, and I loved the reward of going apple picking this afternoon.)

For the next two weeks, things are going to get serious. That means no beer at pub quiz, eating the proper foods, and sticking to my planned schedule.

Speaking of: holy crap, the race is so soon! This Saturday will be my last long run before the big day. Here's the plan:

Monday: Bike, strength train
Tuesday: 4 miles
Wednesday: 3 miles
Thursday: 4 miles
Friday: Off
Saturday: 8-10 miles

Countdown!

It's been an incredibly lazy Sunday full of errands, bursts of productivity, hours watching 24, and thinking about the approaching race.

During Week 14, I swapped two running days for workouts in my building's fitness center. I was a little worried that it would affect my running performance, but I'm very happy that I did it. I felt incredibly tired on Tuesday and knew that any run I attempted would be a complete disaster. Today, I wanted to rest a bit after Saturday's run. I hate skipping runs, but I know that taking a few days off from running will be better in the long run.

The last twenty-one days are apparently the most important for training. Over the next few weeks, I'll be readjusting my training schedule a bit so that I'm not exerting myself too much, but I still feel feel good about distance running. I'll also make a few diet changes to make sure that I'm getting everything that I need to fuel these last few weeks of training. (Not that my diet was terrible to begin with, but I definitely was starting to miss protein targets.)

I originally planned to run a second 20-miler, but it's time to taper. I'll shoot for a minimum distance of 16 or a maximum distance of 18 miles.

Week 15:

Monday: Strength train and stationary bike
Tuesday: 4 miles
Wednesday: 4 miles
Thursday: 4 miles
Friday: Off
Saturday: between 16 and 18 miles.

So, here we go!