Taper time! Considering the amount of lingering aches and pains I have been having, tapering could not come soon enough. As Colleen mentioned in her post, I have mostly been dealing with some ankle and Achilles pain that sidelined me from two runs last week but is now subsiding. I think I am starting to mature as a runner since I actually skipped the runs as opposed to my usual strategy of just dealing with it and running through the pain for as long as possible. Now in the final two weeks before Bear Mountain, I feel my body recovering stronger than ever and finally feel like I kicked the illness that plagued me for the last third of my training.
As for race day goals, I think I am setting my “Everything Goes Right” goal at around 8.5 hours. While a huge increase over my 50 mile PR, I think that the course plays to my strengths and given good conditions, I can really do well. My main goal for the day is to break 9 hours. I really think this is doable and looking at average paces, the course profile, and my fitness something that I should be able to succeed at.
Shortest recap yet!
Tuesday I hit the trails at Rancho Palos Verdes for some hill repeats. The trails and views were magnificent, and my last hill workout for the training cycle went really well. I was really consistent between reps and gave it my all, which is probably why my ankle pain finally caught me and I had to sit Wednesday and Thursday out.
Friday I was back in Boston, feeling well, and it was Marathon weekend! The Boston Marathon is like runner Christmas, and easily one of my favorite times to be in Boston. There are tons of events to meet bad ass runners at and everyone’s energy seemed to be through the roof. Feeding off that energy, I went to my first November Project workout in ages. I did 7 miles on Summit Ave and PRed on the downhill portion (according to Strava) which helped build my confidence.
Saturday I was planning on running long, but a friend needed some help demoing a product at the marathon expo, so I ran 9 miles on the treadmill in various increments. Afterwards, I went to the Runner’s World shakeout run which ended at the November Project book launch. Besides being able to hear Brogan and Bojan, Colleen and I got the chance to Rory Bosio who was one of the nicest people ever! She was thrilled to give ultra tips, advice, and wisdom.
Sunday I finally got around to my long run and I was on the struggle bus. It was a bit warmer than I anticipated, my ankle did not feel great, and I was tired from the crazy week. But I got it done, finishing 20 miles and kicking off my taper!
One and a Half Runners 
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