Tuesday, March 2, 2010

February Wrapup and Another Taper Begins

It's hard to believe that we are already in the first week of March! Wow! That means it's time to put the wrap on February and look forward to this month.

Bottom line is February went out like a lamb. Part of it was a little too much racing - three races this past month - Surf City Half on the 7th, WTRS 21K Trail race on the 20th, and the Firecracker 10K this past Sunday. With all the mini-tapering that went on, that definitely put the kibosh on serious mileage:

  • Week ending 2/7: 28 running, 9 rowing - 37 total
  • Week ending 2/14: 41 running, 10 rowing - 51 total
  • Week ending 2/21: 29 running, 9 rowing - 38 total
  • Week ending 2/28: 23 running, 5 rowing - 28 total
  • Total: 121 running, 33 rowing - 154 total

That's about 25 to 30 miles short of plan when I started the month. Oh well. Consistency is really the name of the game. Or so I convince myself that it is.

And now? Nervous time begins! The L.A. Marathon is less than 3 weeks away. Gulp! That means that I start taper this week. I'm going to forgo the rowing machine for the next few weeks and put my mileage in on the roads and trails. For this week:

  • Monday: Scheduled rest.
  • Tuesday: 8 general aerobic miles
  • Wednesday: 6 general aerobic miles. Stretch and core workout.
  • Thursday: Hill repeats. 6 miles total including 6 hill repeats.
  • Friday: Scheduled rest.
  • Saturday: 12 miles general aerobic.
  • Sunday: 4 miles general aerobic. Stretch and core workout
  • Total plan: 36 miles

This time around I am committed to not showing up at the start line tired. So while this week's schedule is a medium effort for me, next week and the week after will be rather pedestrian - 25 miles next week, and 8 miles (plus the marathon) the following week. My challenge will be to not *eat* like I'm still running 40 miles.....

9 comments:

  1. I may not run 40 miles a week but sometimes I feel like i eat like I am! Hope you enjoy your taper! February was a good month for you!

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  2. I was short on mileage for the week/month but we just regroup and rebuild, right! Welcome to taper time, my worst time of a marathon! You sound like you have an excellent plan/schedule so just keep eating well and staying focused!! Have a blast in taper land :).

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  3. Hi Glenn,
    Oh my gosh, three weeks until your marathon!! It is going to be here before you know it:) You are going to do great these next few weeks...just stay focused and keep positive:) I have faith in you!!

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  4. Seems like everyone is doing L.A. this year. Awesome.

    On your stretch/core days, how much stretching to do you?

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  5. enjoy your taper glenn. looks like you have a good plan to make sure your legs and body are fresh for race day.

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  6. Good luck with your taper! I'm still so mystified by "tapering" and the like. Guess I will know all about it in a few months. :) And then I'll beg you to talk me down, mentally!

    Have a great week!

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  7. you are like me... your taper week is a bit higher than previous week's mileage... 'oops' :)

    nah those races are definitely valid reasons - they were some tough ones so you were still training well. don't get nervous yet, save that for next week.

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  8. The weeks around a marathon are always the best, first a taper and then recovery. Too bad the first ones can't be enjoyed because of nerves.

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