onepinkfuzzy

So I headed out for a five-mile run yesterday between games (yay Steelers! yay Seahawks!). It was another great run. I started out all cranky, as usual. Definitely seems to be my modus operandi. And then, as usual, about three-ish miles in, I finally warmed up and went into the "zone." You know, the place where running doesn't feel forced, where you aren't pushing yourself to keep going, where your inner child becomes lulled to sleep in the peace and complacency of feeling your body gently glide through the atmosphere. Sigh it with me, "ahhhhh." Now, the two miles I did today? Nope, no zone. Lead-filled legs, shaky body, starving stomach, hot head, yuck! I had the "right" amount of food/drink in the morning, so I'm not sure why it sucked so bad, but I just listened to my body, walked part of it and cut the run short (should have been 3 miles). I did enjoy the urban aspect of it, though. I usually run on trails, or at least the relatively secluded River Path, and am unused to running through neighborhoods and urban centers. I found pleasure in hearing a lawn mower, smelling a BBQ, listening to people talk as they walk to their cars, winding my way through bushes overgrowing a bird-poop-covered sidewalk and kids leaving school for lunch. It was such a different perspective, and I enjoyed running to the beat of the neighborhood. A runner enjoying mid-town Tucson, who would have thought.

Last night, I finally figured out the rest of my taper schedule. This whole training-for-an-ultra thing was done sort of on a whim and ad-hoc, so I had have no plan. Just tried to increase my mileage by 10% each week (emphasis on the tried), and get a little faster. I managed to get up to about 35 miles a week for my "monster" month - I know, no where NEAR where I "should have" been to train for an ultra - and I also managed to get my average time from about 13:30/mile to about 11:10/mile on the River Path. Oh, yeah, my taper schedule: Today, 2; Wed, 3; Fri, 4; Sun, 6; Tues, 2-3; Thurs, 2; Sat, RACE!!! I'm pretty confident I can complete the race within the 8-hour cutoff time; however, I am fully aware that there is a definite possibility that I might not. I need to accept that, so I don't kill myself if that happens. The nerves are starting to increase, and I just keep reminding myself that the mere fact that I am attempting this race is an incredible feat in and of itself. One year ago, I weighed 60 lbs more than I do now. I couldn't run a half-mile. And now here I am prepping for a freakin' ULTRA!!!!!!!