Distance: 46 miles
Time: 6 hours 54 minutes
Comments: I knew it was going to be a bear going in and it certainly didn't disappoint.
This was the big week with the max mileage and longest long run. That's capping a six week build in mileage that put me in the 200-mile range. I have never run this far or this long before in my life and my body is not totally happy with me about it.
But, now it is done, I have things relatively easy for the next three weeks. I start dramatically reducing the mileage with the taper. I also am not going to feel too upset if I have to take extra days off to baby my injuries back to full health.
The three weeks remaining until the starter's horn are the portion of training I really never believed I would reach - the taper.
From the first time I considered doing a marathon several years ago and started doing research on how to go about it, I have read about 'the taper.' Over time, and numerous failed efforts to get going with the training, this phase of preparation just before the race itself kind of took on a mythological aspect on par with the race itself.
Of course with the brutal mileage and pace of the last six weeks, the respite it offers probably adds to my amazement at actually reaching it.
Anyhow, I'll put in about 30 miles or so at relatively easy paces this week. I'm looking for a ten mile long run on Saturday because of the 3 mile race on Sunday night. The main priority is getting the danger spots that have developed - like the tightness in my right calf - taken care of.
Injury update: The one that has me most concerned is the knot in my lower calf/upper achilles tendon that has formed on the right side. This is like the one I had two weeks ago on the left but not as deep. Now I've logged the big miles, I plan to give it some rest and massage work.