It's Official...I'm Tapering!!

WOOHOO!!! Although I find the tapering to be the most stressful part of this journey, it means all of the work is done. Now is the time to let my body soak in all of the hard work and prepare for the final journey.

And hard work I have done in this final push:

-A wonderful trip to California where I covered 80 miles in 3 days:

10 easy on the roads on Thursday

50 on Friday from Robinson Flat to the River

20 on Saturday from Green Gate

And then the finale....

15 on Friday with Paul running with me to keep me upbeat in light of Daisy being sick

8 on Saturday with friends (7 with Clea) and then running back on the trail to ncourage the Rogue group as they were finishing up

- And just when I thought I would start to back down, the heat came and so I took advantage of my schedule to truly heat train:

27 on Sunday: 3 miles pre-race; 30K at moderate pace on rocky trails 2:59 including a stop at the aid station to cut the bottom off of my shoe...my Odysseys were shot and the bottom ripped mid-race; and an extra 10K to make myself work in the heat. Did I mention that Paul won the race, of course, after biking 130 miles the day before????

Hill Repeats on Ladera Norte (9 miles total) 88 degrees with a slight breeze

5 miles easy in the humidity

6 miles tempo on the trail at noon in 90 degrees and 90% humidity

15 mile trail with Steph 85 degrees and 100% humidity...killer run with spider webs. horse-flies, and soaked to the core

13 miles from my house (north Austin) to Downtown in 88 degrees and 100% humidity...again, slightly brutal because of the humidity but getting a bit better. I did stop to get ice for my camelback, though.

Did I mention the hours of biking in the house, with the air off?? I LOVE my Power-Cranks...think, one-legged drills on the bike non-stop. Although, it only gets to about 83 in the room I bike in.

Needless to say, the work is done and it is time to back down!! I will continue to heat train, but mostly while doing my reduced load workouts. I do have an "up" hill workout this week that should be pretty darn hard in the heat, but it will help me feel ready when the temps rise in the canyons.

I remain in a bit of fog, that will start to clear in the coming days. It is then that I will be able to take a moment and truly reflect on all of the positives that have come from the training this year. I do know for sure that I am so blessed to have made it through so happy and healthy. I have not put a strain on any of the relationships in my life in order to pursue this very selfish endeavor...in fact I have gone out of my way to let all of the relationships in my life grow and shine in the moments I needed them most.

As always, I could not have made this journey without those that are closest to me and have stood by me every step of the way. I will share every step I take in 15 days with them!!

mer