NOLA Week 10: Taper Time

Distance: 12.07 miles
Route: Clyde Fant Parkway
Time: 2 hrs. 12 mins. 13 secs.

You gotta love the weather in the South. Really. One hour it is beautiful and the next it's snow. You wake up and it's pouring and then 2 hours later it's stifling. I had originally scheduled this run for Sunday, but seeing as Mother Nature has had a wicked sense of meteorological humor as of late, I decided to move it to Saturday. The only catch was that Mark had a 10-mile trail run at Lake Bistineau (30 mins away) at 8:30am. So, I'd either have to do it super duper early or just wait until later in the day. The day was so beautiful that I decided to wait until after Mark's run. Can I just say that Lake Bistineau is stunning?! Mark did great on his run...no ninjas, no veering off-course and lots of splashing through mud and pine needles.

When we got home, I threw on my gear. It was 72 and perfect outside, so I opted for shorts and a tank top. I haven't had to break those out in a REALLY long time. I made sure to slather on the sunscreen and also filled the camelbak all the way. I had a feeling that I may end up using all of it. I decided to reverse the route. I started down at Hamel Park and ran the big loop at the park and then headed up toward Sciport. There was no shade at all. Luckily, there was a breeze, so that was a nice saving grace. Lots of people out today...walkers, bikers, runners. It was nice to see. I hit 4 miles and my left foot started bothering me. I think it's leftover from last week when I tried the new shoes (I ran in my old shoes today). I tried to ignore it as best I could.

I was on my way back and saw a dad biking with his three kids. I was at the hill right before Stoner Boat Launch when one of the kids veered off the trail and ate it right in front of me. I ran over to him and helped him shake it off and helped pick up his bike. His dad thanked me and I just smiled and said no problem...I have two kiddos myself. They went on their merry way and I went on mine. I started to get tired around 9 miles. I didn't prep myself as well as I usually do for long runs, so I was getting mentally tired too. The sun was beating down and I just kept reminding myself of how nice it was to be warm rather than freezing for a change. I made it back down to Hamel Park and did another loop to make sure that I got all of the mileage in.

It was nice that it was 12 miles today. Taper always freaks me out because I feel like I need to be doing more and pushing harder and harder. Taper is time to rest the muscles and let them recover. This way they'll be able to perform optimally on race day. I didn't hit the gym this past week, and I can tell the difference without having done weights. I need to make it a point to do a little cross training and some weights. I think I feel more well-rounded when I do.

One more long run remaining, and even then, it's not too long. I have 8 scheduled for next Sunday (provided I don't have to build an ark between now and then) and then the race is set for February 13th. I received my race confirmation and bib number. So, if you get bored and feel like checking up on me, my number is 17116. :)