STOP! Taper Time!

Ok, so unless you're an Eighties' child, that title probably won't make much sense to you. You'll be sitting there looking non-plussed whilst the rest of us start humming "Nerrr na-na-na, naaaaah naa".

So, having done my twenty-miler, it was time for the taper to start. "Tapering" is the process of cutting down your training mileage, ready for the big day. For a short race, with a short training period, you're likely to only do a taper of a week or two. Because it's the marathon, and I've been training since, oooh, about November, on/off for the first couple of months, I'm doing a long taper of four weeks. Liz Yelling said I should.*

I've really rather enjoyed the last couple of weeks. Done a couple of speed sessions, some nice little trots, and generally got back to enjoying the running a little more. Plus the added bonus of having the light nights back, which has been lovely and actually allowed me to run in the light most of the time!

So now I'm looking at the next few days. I will be going for a programme of carbohydrate depleting/carbohydrate loading, which basically means I go on the Atkin's Diet for five days then stuff myself with potato. Or something like that. I don't know if I will make it the full five days - I can see myself craving carbs pretty quickly - but I'll do my best. Still haven't quite figured out what I am going to have for my "work-day" breakfast that doesn't involve carbs...

And, in other news, I wiped 3mins 10seconds off my 10K time at the AUK 10K at the weekend!! Wooooooo----hoooooo!! My PB now stands at 54:12. I am well chuffed I managed to break my previous PB and get a sub-55min 10K in one. Next goal will be a sub-52 10K, I think...

I am starting to get a bit nervous about the whole marathon thing now. I think this is because I have been planning this for so long (I booked the hotel back before Christmas!) and have all kinds of mental images about what might happen, doing the race, etc. Now it's getting scarily close. There are only twelve days left before the big day, and just over a week before we leave for the Big Smoke. Today I have mentally planned out my last training runs prior to the marathon. That is really scary. Months and months of training, and now I'm planning out the last ones.

In fundraising news, my total now sits at £1,762.02. I'm overwhelmed at the generosity of everyone who has sponsored me. Months back I was sweating about how on earth I was going to raise £1,000, let alone the £1,500 that AUK wanted me to raise. Thank you all so much!

And, if you're feeling guilty that you haven't yet sponsored me, can I persuade you to pay a visit to my fundraising page now? *cheeky grin* The link's on the left-hand menu. Thank you.

Right, well, I did promise myself at some point that I would blog about running with asthma, so I think that might well be the subject of my next blog post. Together with a list of stuff I need to take with me to London. And my experiences of going ketotic on a carb-depleting diet....



*Sort of. Well, she recommended it in an article in Runners' World.