I wasn't planning to taper for this upcoming half marathon. It isn't a goal race and my goal races are coming up in July and September. However, I did too much and beat myself up like I always do. That forced me into a taper.
Last week I ran 25 miles. After struggling on Saturday, I hadn't run since. I wanted to get my weekly Trexler run in to keep the streak alive. I think it is up to around 18 straight weeks. I don't have much time to run tomorrow or Thursday, so today was the ideal day. I didn't have any real plan, other than to run there and not kill myself doing it.
The weather was great. It wasn't anywhere near as hot as it has been lately. There was also a nice breeze. I still sweated plenty, but it was much better than it has been. I bought new trails shoes. They were updated ones of my last pair. That pair had a hole in the toe, so I figured that it was time for an upgrade. The shoes worked well.
I started off at the beginning of the Quadzilla course. I decided right away that I would take it super easy and let my legs recover even more. I chose to walk the tougher hills. That turned out to be a great decision.
The start is on pavement and downhill. It was an amazing feeling. My legs felt so fresh and so much better than they have in weeks. Finally, the rest is helping and I think this taper is working. I was so excited in the early going that I wanted to dance around.
I cruised nice and easy and enjoyed a comfortable run for a change. It was so much better than last week. I went on to the Covered Bridge Trail, still running easy. After that, I headed on to the true trail. This part is uphill right away, so I began walking.
I hate the idea of walking, but it sure felt and worked great today. It didn't last too long and I was back to running again. I cruised along feeling fresh and truly enjoying everything. The first mile finishes up near the first road crossing. It felt like it was over in a flash. Obviously with some walking, it wasn't as fast as usual, but it still wasn't too bad. I came in at 9:57.
Shortly after the road crossing, there is some uphill. I ran it a little bit, but when I rounded the corner, I just began walking. I did develop some slight soreness, but it wasn't bad. The undersize of my foot bothered me more than anything. So many times, I've already been dragging at this point. That wasn't the case today.
I was able to run for quite awhile. I decided that whenever I got to a hill, if my legs started burning or I was breathing heavy, I'd walk. That strategy worked great.
Right around the 2 mile mark, I began the fairly long and steep uphill. I ran the bottom of it, but walked most of it. I can run up this hill, but it always kills me. With more walking, the second mile was slower. Still, it was only a 10:59.
At the top of the hill, I felt awesome. I began running again and cruised along the rolling hills. I saw 3 or 4 animals cross the trail. They were like the size of cats, but looked orange and kind of like they might be juvenile foxes. I don't know, since I didn't get a great look at them.
This section of rolling hills was fun. It is exposed to the sun, so that can be difficult. I continued to feel great though. I should probably run/walk more often. One hill got kind of steep, so I walked it. This area was just mowed and I was glad for that. The high grass can sometimes have ticks in it.
I came down the hill and hit the next road crossing around the third mile. That mile was run at 10:13. Certainly, I was running slower, but it wasn't that much of a difference. I was feeling so much fresher and enjoying the run more than I have in awhile. I probably would've been able to run better here with some rested legs today, but the walking was definitely helping a lot too.
The time and miles seemed to go by fairly quickly. That said, I still figured that I would cut the run short. I didn't want to go the full loop when I'm working on cutting back this week.
I walked up the steep hill to the Environmental Center and then flew up some of the nearby short hills. I knew I'd be walking up the really steep one soon. I got to that one and began walking it. I was still feeling good, but I thought I might as well head back. I didn't need to overdo it.
I ran back towards the road to the zoo. My friend Aaron told me about a way to cut off a couple miles and the tough hills. Next time I'm there, I might try to do it. Today, I just decided to pass on that.
I ran downhill with ease, to the creek crossing near the Ford. I then ran in the flat area along the creek, towards the zoo. I finished up in the back of the zoo and walked back to my car. That was some uphill. Next time, I should walk on the road.
It was amazing how fresh I felt and how much walking helped. I might actually be able to strategically walk during the race and put up a faster time there. It's an ego thing though, (how much I can run) so I can't see myself racing that way. I will try walking more on training runs though.
I still love running at Trexler, but had kind of been dreading some of the runs lately. It's a combination of being there so often and it being so challenging. I never have a day there that seems easy. That changed today thanks to walking the hills. It made the whole run go much better. Ultrarunners walk a lot of hills and I can see how that could be an effective race strategy.
On Sunday, I was out at the course preview for Saturday's half marathon. I'm glad I took a trip out there. I assumed the terrain was relatively flat, but it is anything but. It is nonstop rolling hills through farmland. I'm strong on hills, so I don't mind that, but it was good to know how it would be. If I can run feeling fresh, like I did today, that would be a big boost.
I don't know if I'll run again at all before the race on Saturday. If I do, it will be a short run, just to get my legs churning. I might even make it moderate paced. Resting more certainly wouldn't hurt either. My legs still could use it.
5 miles - 50:41 (10:08 pace)
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