THOU SHALT BE A COMEBACK

Feeling good today!  I don't seem to have any damage from yesterday's long run--maybe the slightest bit of stiffness if I have been sitting for a while but no soreness.  That to me is a good sign.  So I am tossing about in my head what to do for the next 14 days, and how much to taper.  Considering that I am not injured and feel pretty good, I am thinking I don't need too drastic of a taper.  So I was thinking of something like this:  

M--6 easy  T--14-15 easy W--6 in the stroller easy TH--6 stroller easy F--workout! 2x3 fast(6:52 pace) Sat--10 easy with the tribe    =52 total miles

Race week M--6 easy  T--8 with last 3 at MP W--4 stroller easy TH off!!  F--2 easy Sat--RACE

Overtapering, undertapering, does it look about right?  Any suggestions are welcome.  I  may throw this on the discussion forum as well.  

5 am, 8:57 pace.  Not much zip in my legs at this hour.  

A leisurely 8:24 pace.  The Brandon breakfast bribe worked again!  I enjoyed running longish without thinking about any particular pace.  I just listened to music and enjoyed the sun.  I did note the strong south wind, and looking at the extended forecast with no small dismay, I am quite certain my marathon will involve some significant time-killing headwinds.  Hopefully they don't tear me up too bad and the finish is a tailwind.  Breakfast was whole wheat french toast, bacon, and eggs.  Shamefully delicious!

8:43 pace on zero incline on Kim's treadmill.  I was exhausted from yesterday's events.  I was at work when my husband called and said he had gotten a call from our 15 year old saying the house was on fire. He told Jesse to get Nick and Ian and get out of the house.  He was stuck in traffic and couldn't get there and for a while we didn't know if the kids were okay or not.  My partner drove me in the ambulance to my house.  We all got there about the same time.  Turns out him and Ian had been sitting in the living room when he looked up and couldn't see out the window because of thick smoke.  He called David and then him and Ian ran out of the house and found Nick by the attached garage which had flames wrapped around it.  Nick and Ian ran to the neighbors and Jesse got the hose and started watering the fire.  The fire department told us that with the wind howling the way it was yesterday, we would have lost the house if Jesse hadn't acted so quickly. Nick was playing with matches he got out of an old MRE he found in the garage and had started the fire.  He had some singed eyelashes and hair but no burns and was okay.  He is in soooo much trouble but at least everyone is alive and well and I am very grateful.  We lost a few garage walls but that is nothing, it could have been a lot worse.

So far nothing.  I'm totally exhausted.  Got home from work at midnight, and within 30 minutes Vanessa was coughing and crying and our long night began.  I squeezed a few hours of sleep in sometime before 6 when I had to get the boys up and get them out the door for school. This morning Vanessa is tethered to a nebulizer and I am cursing that my poor girl just can't even get a few months break from these breathing issues.  I have to work tonight, so the plan is 6 miles easy on the treadmill after work.  If I can get motivated I will do some core work and strength drills before work but so far I am sitting on the couch staring at the tv with Vanessa and my motivation is non-existent.  We look like little blonde twins with messy bedheads and matching dark circles under our eyes.

Update:  2 sets of strength drills before work--it was good to get the blood flowing.  After work went to building 1 and cranked the treadmill up to 8:34 pace, ran for 45 minutes

7:32 average pace.  Goal was 2x3 at fast tempo(6:52ish pace) with .5 brisk recovery.  It was over 70 degrees today and windy--I am not used to the heat.  Night 2 of up-all-night with Vanessa is under my belt.  I got home at 1am from work and run and was up until 2am with her, and then up at again at 6:20am to get the boys off to school.  I did take a nap today, though.  Anyways, I went out way too fast for the first set of 3, and payed dearly in the second set, which started uphill into the wind.  I spent the whole first mile of the second set contemplating abandoning the workout, using my exhausting week as an excuse, but then I thought of MichelleL's recent blog and decided I would at least put forth the effort, even if the result was sub-optimal.  The last mile I even found a little gumption to run in the low 6's and get it back under 7 minutes.  Not my best workout, but I am glad I hung on and did it anyway.

2 mile warm up 8:57, 8:34

3 mile tempo 6:51, 6:29, 6:44 (6:41 average too fast)

.5 recovery in 4:10(8:20 pace)

3 mile tempo 7:20, 7:16, 6:56 (7:10 average...ugly)

1 mile cooldown 8:11

If you put all the splits for the tempo miles together I averaged 6:56, so I'll take that as close enought to hitting my target and call it good.

8:34 average pace.  Nice morning run with the tribe!  Afterwards I drove to the Easter Sun Run 10k and cheered for a tribe member and my sister-in-law.  They did really good.  The guy who won it ran it in 29 something.  Wow!  That is amazing, especially considering that course is not particularly fast with all the corners it turns.  The girl won in 35 something.  Wow!  7 days to the marathon.  Deep breath.  Now I really need to just rest.