Mississauga Marathon training: Week 12

Holy crap, it's time to taper!

Monday: TRX class. It's always a good sign when the trainer announces the name of the workout is 'The Puke Maker'. Really tough. I had a feeling I would pay for the pistol squats on Tuesday and Wednesday - doesn't seem to matter how often I do those, I'm always in pain for days afterwards.

New shoes! Finally my shoe model comes in a not boring colour!

Tuesday: Got up early and ran 9k in the pouring rain. Seriously, me 3 years ago would have no idea WTF I was thinking. But I needed to get in 16k, so every step I ran in the rain was a step I wouldn't have to run at lunch.

7k at lunch to get up to 16k total on the day. Somehow I was way more tired and sore Tuesday night than I was Saturday after running 33k. I would even say I was more sore than after Around the Bay! The TRX/double run combo was deadly.

Wednesday: Still ridiculously sore. Damn those pistol squats at TRX! And yet another dentist appointment, so I worked at home and slipped out for a very easy 8k early in the afternoon. The sun was shining and the run helped a lot with the DOMS.

Still no leaves on the trees, but the sunshine was glorious.

Thursday: STILL SORE. Gah. 12k at lunch, which isn't ideal (I prefer to keep my lunch runs to 9k max so I'm not away from the office too long). But occasionally it's not a big deal, so off to Princess Point. Ran the middle 6k at a tempo-ish pace. Tempo for what exactly I'm not sure, I just ran what felt good.

Waterfront trail/Bayfront park. I love that I have these places accessible from work!

5:21/5:18/5:24/5:25/5:36/6:10 for the tempo paces. The 6:10 included going uphill into a brutal headwind, so I was just grateful I was still moving forward at that point - pace was irrelevant.

Crashed HARD at around 8:30 and was fast asleep by 9. All the training caught up to me all at once, I think. I'm taking that as a sign I'm about ready for the taper.

Friday: Rest day. Legs finally felt back to normal, which is good, because Saturday's run was scheduled to be a long one.

Saturday: Last really long LSD for this training cycle (next week's 20k suddenly seems almost short). 36k with Amy and Patty. I know 36k is a bit longer than is usually recommended for the longest marathon training run, but I think the mental benefits of running that far once outweigh the physical drawbacks of doing such a long run in training. Just knowing that I can get that close to the full distance makes me fell more confident.

Patty, Amy, me, looking entirely too good after running THIRTY SIX km. THIRTY SIX. Yeah, I have to say that in all caps.

Check out the marathon taper survival kits I assembled for the girls.

Giving Patty her gift. Seriously, we look way too good here. Really, we did run 36k before this, I swear. (thanks Amy for the picture)

On a completely unrelated note, this run also proved that cyclists really need to wear cycling shirts. There's a very good reason cycling shirts are longer in the back, folks. #buttcrack #cantunsee

Sunday: Recovery run. Super easy 8k. Down by the lake because that is my happy place, just me and my tunes and a gazillion other runners/walkers/cyclists out enjoying the day. At one point I totally zoned out and then next thing I knew it was 3k later and I was almost done the run! Love when that happens!

Cloudy and windy, but still a great day because NOT SNOWING.

Weekly Summary: 81k run and a TRX class. Also, some pretty damn good sleep in there. All this training sure makes going to bed early more appealing.

Now to taper! Admittedly this upcoming week still has 58k on the schedule, but with the longest run being 'only' 20k it feels like a nice break. Not gonna lie, this week was exhausting, and I'm glad the training peak is over. My right knee was also a bit sore after Sunday's run - not enough to make me worry, but enough to make me pay attention. It felt better after a walk to the park with the kids, but I'm still glad Monday is going to be a rest day. At this point the tough training is done and it's all about staying/getting healthy for the race, so if I end up with a few unplanned rest days to make sure all is well, I'm OK with that.