Taper Time

It's finally here. The week I've been awaiting for months. It's is now taper time!!! It's my favorite part of marathon training. It's the time when your "long" run is "only" 12 miles...and it seems easy. It's the time you can justify a whole lotta laziness by saying, "Better not - I need to rest." Sneak in an extra workout? Better not - I need to rest. Go in early to work? Better not - I need to rest. Comb your hair? Better not - I need to rest.

But I'm getting ahead of myself. You see, because before the taper starts, you have hell week - the biggest mileage week of your training. And when training for Dopey, hell week is especially hellish. This is the week that you need to do your final - and longest - Dopey simulation by running long miles on several consecutive days. But I made it....with a little help from some crazy people I know my friends.

Dopey Simulation, Day 1: Thursday, December 17 - 5 Miles

Lauri took the easy day. Slacker.

This was the easy day of the simulation. My friend and neighbor Lauri agreed to accompany me on this run. My alarm went off at 5:15 and I jumped out of bed ready to knock these miles out.  After all, 5 should be no problem.  Should, being the operative word here. This run just flat out sucked. I was tired. My legs were sore. I had no oomph. I had to reign Lauri in a couple times and fretted to her that I was nervous. If I was having trouble with 5 measly miles, how on earth was I gonna do 10? Or 20? Before she trotted back across the street to her warm house and puppy snuggles, she told me that I would be fine and it was just a bad day. I knew this on an intellectual level, but something like this messes with your mental game.

I made myself a recovery drink, hopped in the shower and got ready for work - complete with my recovery compression socks hidden in my knee high boots. I had pre-made a batch of hard boiled eggs the night before so I easily take some high protein food with me to work. I grabbed an egg, a banana and a clementine and left for work. Sadly, when I got to work and took out my egg - I discovered it looked not so much hard boiled as slimy. I was told it was actually soft boiled, some people like it that way and they even sell these fancy cup things to perch them in and eat them. People are weird. So I tried it. I did not appreciate the slime factor. Yet another Raegan cooking fail.

FYI - this is gross.

Dopey Simulation, Day 2: Friday, December 18 - 10 Miles  

No - we weren't preparing to rob a casino Ocean's 11 style.

My alarm went off at 5:00 am and I rolled out of bed to get dressed in the running clothes I had set out the night before. I did my PT-prescribed planks, ate an English muffin topped with peanut butter and sliced bananas while filling my fuel belt and headed out to meet early bird Karin for a windy run. We decided to run north so we'd be going through Uptown in the dark and could run through the Christmas lights. It's the little things that help you get through a cold run. And it was cold. Despite my multiple shirts, gloves and neck gaiter I was freezing.

After we got north of town and away from the protection of trees and buildings, the wind got vicious. We agreed to run to the north end of the trail so there would be minimal back tracking past our cars to get in the prescribed mileage. (There are few things as mentally taxing as running past your nice, warm car and not stopping. It's like it's calling to you. "Come back to me. You've run far enough.") But as we ran toward the north ending point of the trail, the wind and cold were playing tricks on our minds. We could see the end after a while but it seemed as if we were running in place, and were getting no closer to it. We finally did reach the end and Karin with her running OCD made me actually go back and step onto the street because I had turned around a step shy of it the first time.

The good news was that I felt much better doing 10 miles than I did doing 5 the day before. I had taken the morning off work so I could take my time getting ready after my longest weekday run. I got back home, downed another recovery drink and rolled out my legs. As I laid down to roll my calves, I placed my hand under my head and discovered my pony tail was frozen...and I'd been home in front my fireplace for about a half hour at this point. I thought it was cold out there!  After I got out of the shower, I looked at my watch and realized I had enough time for a nap before I went to work so I climbed into my bed and promptly fell asleep. Before leaving for work, I made another attempt at a high protein meal and made a bagel with cream cheese and salmon. No cooking issues this time. Of course the only "cooking" I had to do was toast the bagel...

Well, it turned out better than the egg.

Dopey Simulation, Day 3: Saturday, December 19 - 20 Miles

This is the last day, right?

This was the big day. Even though it's Saturday, my alarm still annoyingly goes off at 5:00 am. I stagger out of bed, get dressed in 2 pairs of tights, a thermal shirt, fleece-lined jacket, neck gaiter, fleece hat, gloves and wool socks and do my planks. Ugh - why aren't those getting any easier? I had packed a bin with supplies the night before and would be dropping it off at a park along our route. I grabbed that, my fuel belt and my knuckle lights and headed out to meet a group of selfless certifiably crazy people who were willing to meet me and fellow marathoner Wendy before dawn to run for hours.

Our supplies bin that we'd access at mile 12 and again at 13.

The layers weren't enough. I was freezing. I had to pull the mitten mitts over my gloves and tuck my hands up into my sleeves to get feeling back into the tips of my fingers. When the sun came up, it was a little better, but not much. I honestly didn't get warm until about 4 hours in. There was a good-sized group of us and we even saw 2 other crazy people who were out before dawn in 18 degree weather.

After 2 hours, we got to the meeting point where we met up with Jane and Barb, 2 more crazy people of my friends. They would be running about 5 or 6 miles with us. Our posse continued on. In the next hour, we picked up 3 more folks. At this point we started to look like a president running surrounded by the secret service detail - but with more colorful clothing. The large group of people helped pass the time.

Let do this thing, but first lemme take a selfie.

The posse going through Uptown.

Yes - that is frost on my hat.

Not so much a training run as a party on legs.

By mile 14, I was starving. I scavenged food from posse members who produced pretzels and gummy bears from their pockets. Shortly after I was getting a little restless to get done. Our group had been doing run/walk intervals but now I just wanted to finish. Karin encouraged me to do what I needed to do for my own training. So a group of folks stayed with Wendy while Jeffrey and Karin went with me as I took off, telling the rest of the group I'd see them at the finish.

Finally I was starting to get a little warmer and I could almost feel the finish. I ran the last quarter of a mile repeatedly staring at my Garmin, watching the tenths of a mile tick by. All I could think about was a huge fountain soda and a hot shower. Soon my watch buzzed and I was done. I actually felt great. As a matter of fact, my last mile was my fastest one.

Done! What's to eat?

Once I got home, I sent my mom the obligatory "I'm still alive" text - complete with photographic proof - and took a hot shower. I stayed in there until the hot water ran out.

I then went in search of food - grabbing a quick bite and then heading to the grocery store to pick up something for a party that night. Here's a tip - maybe don't go to the grocery store the day of a long run. In addition to the party supplies, I may or may not have also come home with a Hershey bar and a tray of iced pumpkin bars.

So now the Dopey simulation is behind me and I can start the taper. I kicked it off by skipping my Monday morning run. It was raining anyway...