At last…the taper!

I completed my last 20 miler yesterday and now I’m really glad it’s tapering time!

We’ve had lots and lots of spring rain for the last two weeks or so so it was really great to wake up and see blue sky for once.  My wife and I left home at about 6:30 AM and did a nice gentle loop through Cornwall Park and then headed towards the Auckland Domain. As you can see it was a beautiful morning running through the park:

We then ran along the coast until my wife reached her turnoff towards home.  She did her longest run yet (very exciting) at 21.5km which is her first run that is longer than her half marathon distance.  I’m very proud of her accomplishment.  I’m also more than a little worried that she’s going to smoke my inaugral half marathon time!

I took quite a while to get into my groove on this run.  It was only after about 5km that I felt comfortable and running became effortless.  I suspect this is because I had to skip two of my midweek runs this week so the legs needed a bit more warming up than usual.  On Tuesday I was at work bright and early and didn’t get home till about 9:30 pm due to having to attend Graduation (as a staff member not a graduand) at The University of Auckland where I work.  On Wednesday I was at work bright and early as well and once more didn’t get home till about 9:30 pm as I was MCing a competition finals.  So work has been pretty full on and running has had to take a backseat.

The next 20 or so km of the run were quite nice but I have to admit that I struggled somewhat with the last 5-6 km.  My pace slowed somewhat and I stopped for a few water breaks along the way.  It was one of those runs where you start to question why you want to run a marathon but I think this is normal.  I seem to recall thinking this before my last marathon as well.  Nevertheless, I was very glad to see this sign which I normally see at the end of every long run:

Overall, just over 32km in just over 3:23:00.  I could have done it faster if Ihad focused a bit more but it’s supposed to be a long slow run so I took it slow!

One of the things that I’ve quite enjoyed is that I’ve sort of built up a cameraderie with a whole bunch of fellow runners.  Every Sunday morning I tend to bump into the same folks at different spots and we’ve all started to recognise each other.  That little nod you give to your fellow runners as you go by has that little bit more meaning and tends to be followed by a cheery smile. :)

That’s my last 20 miler of this training cycle and I’m now officially into the taper. I thought it would never get here.  20 days to go to the marathon!

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October 12, 2009 | Filed Under Marathon Training, running 

Comments

19 Responses to “At last…the taper!”

  1. GregNo Gravatar on October 12th, 2009 10:53 pm

    So does your training plan call for a run every day from here on out, or is it staggered?
    .-= Greg´s last blog ..Poll: Do You Want To Grow Old? =-.
    Twitter:

  2. Bill WallaceNo Gravatar on October 13th, 2009 1:11 am

    Hey Andrew, great work! :)
    I wonder, with all the weight you’ve lost, does the Uni think it’s an imposter MCing these events?
    Looking forward to the results of the race!

    Bill
    Twitter:

  3. PerryNo Gravatar on October 13th, 2009 1:37 am

    This is an excellent runner site check it out
    .-= Perry´s last blog ..Dead legged up the hills 12.43 trails =-.

  4. TedNo Gravatar on October 13th, 2009 5:49 am

    Hey Andrew… I am waiting for your camera to break so I won’t have to deal with looking at beautiful pictures. Just kidding !! Beautiful pictures. Looks like you are having a true spring weather. GOOD LUCK with your tapering !!! I am also impressed with your wife’s progress.

    GOOD LUCK !!!
    Twitter:

  5. KateNo Gravatar on October 13th, 2009 7:53 am

    Good work!! Enjoy the taper (as much as possible)
    .-= Kate´s last blog ..Running the length of New Zealand =-.

  6. Two Steps at a TimeNo Gravatar on October 13th, 2009 12:50 pm

    Hey, I really dig your blog. It’s what I am looking for – something to provide some inspiration and wisdom as I commit to start running again. And your pictures are stunningly beautiful. wow.
    .-= Two Steps at a Time´s last blog ..His Story =-.

  7. KristyNo Gravatar on October 13th, 2009 1:38 pm

    Hi Andrew

    Great job with all your running and I can understand how excited you must be to tapering. I was just wonder if you still have the Sony Ericsson K850i phone? I am looking at a new phone and think that I would like one with a good camera as well. Your photos on your blog always look great.

    Cheers
    Kristy
    .-= Kristy´s last blog ..Wow I’m so excited… =-.

  8. JoeyNo Gravatar on October 14th, 2009 9:38 am

    This was a great blog and I can relate to dropping a bunch of weight. I have lost over 67 LBS with the help of a personal trainer at http://www.illuminategym.com. I just wanted to ask you one question… When I ran with the extra pounds my joints really hurt. Now I am able to jog a little bit without pain. I want to know if you had pain while you were a bit heavier?? Thanks and this is a great blog.

  9. AndrewNo Gravatar on October 14th, 2009 10:22 am

    Yep, I’m still using that phone. I love it for photos but I’ll probably switch to an iPhone once the camera on that gets decent.
    Twitter:

  10. AndrewNo Gravatar on October 14th, 2009 10:24 am

    Not really. I’ve always been quite lucky on the injury front.
    Twitter:

  11. AndrewNo Gravatar on October 14th, 2009 10:25 am

    Pretty staggered:

    http://www.halhigdon.com/marathon/inter1.html
    Twitter:

  12. MichelleNo Gravatar on October 14th, 2009 11:06 am

    Glad you can taper things down a bit now – I can’t believe its only 20 days to go.
    You are much more prepared than I am – you can enjoy the “relaxation” runs now :)
    .-= Michelle´s last blog ..Taking a nap =-.

  13. Tim WilsonNo Gravatar on October 14th, 2009 12:13 pm

    Enjoy your taper – only two more weeks till my last 20 miler before taper time!

    20 days – it won’t be long now – Good luck with your marathon!
    .-= Tim Wilson´s last blog ..Better Than Fridays Run – My First 21 Miler! =-.
    Twitter:

  14. Scott Keeps RunningNo Gravatar on October 15th, 2009 10:04 am

    Enjoy the taper.

    Our fall/winter rain/snow clouds just started rolling in last night…

  15. JeffNo Gravatar on October 16th, 2009 1:41 am

    So jealous of your two 20 milers!

    You’re gonna smoke your PR, my friend. Great job training.
    .-= Jeff´s last blog ..Near Miss =-.

  16. Kathleen LissonNo Gravatar on October 16th, 2009 7:52 am

    I agree with you. A happy byproduct of training for the half marathon was “running” into the same runners when I was out on my loops. I hope they understand that if i’m towards the end they will get a wave but not a smile – if it’s at the beginning I will smile, though!
    Kathleen
    .-= Kathleen Lisson´s last blog ..How to find out the number of calories you should eat per day for runners =-.

  17. Twice the ManNo Gravatar on October 16th, 2009 11:53 am

    Your an inspiration!

  18. sandra clarkNo Gravatar on October 16th, 2009 7:16 pm

    Well done Andrew…..Yes! Sally is literally giving you a “run for your money”! Lovely that you have this healthy interest TOGETHER :) Much love always xxx

  19. Chellie Has IssuesNo Gravatar on October 18th, 2009 2:24 pm

    It’s amazing how good those taper weeks feel! Enjoy them you deserve a break after all that hard training.
    .-= Chellie Has Issues´s last blog ..Proud of Myself for Working Through the Hard =-.

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