Let the Tapering Begin!

Did the 23 miler and feeling good. In the middle of a G.I.B.(see prior post), due to a little tightness in my calves. It is not as cold as the last ice bath so I am tolerating it better (used only 1 bag of ice this time, that seems to be the way to go).

We ran slower than commute pace which was the plan, averaging 8:30's for the first 10 miles. I believe we were between 8:30 and 8:45 the whole rest of the way as well. I ran with a small videocamera and got a lot of good footage the first 16 miles, so that was worthwhile. I actually wound up cutting out a bit of the run, maybe 1/2 mile because I stopped to do some shooting of TFK'ers we had caught. I decided to let my group go ahead to the terminus of the first 60% of the run and catch up with them when they turned around.

Tonight, actually in just a couple of hours we are going dinner followed by a Saw Doctors concert. The event is standing room only, which some would argue is not ideal after 23 miles, but that's the way all their shows are. Plus it will help in the long run to be up and moving rather than sitting down and getting stiff muscles.

Unfortunately there is no time for a nap, so we will be dragging by evening's end. When "Hay Wrap" comes on, the extremely upbeat final song, we may lack the energy to jump up and down as is customary. It will be interesting to see how long I can stay out tonight and with what effectiveness after today's run.

So I accomplished my mission, got 23 (or 22) miles in without hurting myself, so now I'm feeling pretty confident about getting to the starting line on November 5th healthy and well trained. Qualifying for Boston is definitely possible, although it will be close. It will require a lot of effort and some luck with the weather, but mainly it will be a question of guts and being able to tough it out and race the last 10K.

Thanks to all my teammates, as always on these long runs I get bored during the long stretches where I don't see them. This was the case on the west side coming back with about 3 miles go go, when I was about to commit suicide from boredom. Then we came around a little bend and we saw the 12:00 pace group up ahead in the distance. So this gave me something to look forward, catching up to them and chatting with the people I know, so again thanks to all of you.