The Marathon Training Blog

Two weeks to until I run the Philly marathon. I'm getting excited, feeling a bit anxious and a little worried. I ran 12 miles on Saturday and I've noticed my runs seem slower and slower. I'm trying not to let this concern me to much. After all, I'm without a running partner and also coming to the end of more than 18 weeks of sheer pounding. When I was running in the park last weekend, they were setting up for the NYC Marathon and just being around the buzz at various points gave me a bit of a boost. So I'm holding out hope that a crowd and some excitement is all I need to get me going again.

Speaking of NYC Marathon, my running partner Stephanie finished in great time. I missed her in a couple of spots along the route but when I finally caught up to her at mile 22 she looked amazing and strong. I was so proud when she finished and am looking forward to saying the same thing about myself. As soon as she's more rested, I'm going to debrief her for a full blow-by-blow account of what happened, what she did, and how she made it through.

These last 2 weeks, I'm trying to focus on rest, rest, and more rest. Lots of sleep, lots of carbs, and running at a slower-than-usual pace. They recommend these tapering runs be done at a pace that's 1 to 1 1/2 minutes slower than your race day pace except for 1 or 2 miles in the middle. Runs should be under 4 miles, except for the long run, which won't exceed 6. Not only am I anxious about the marathon, but I think I'm also feeling antsy because I'm not running as much. What a combo!

I did find a really helpful article about tapering in Runner's World. One really great thing I learned from this piece was that not only do you not lose any fitness during the time you taper off, but studies show that levels of muscle glycogen, enzymes, antioxidants, and hormones--all depleted by high mileage--return to optimal ranges during a taper. And immune function and muscle strength improve. All good news. So while I run less, eat more, and worry all the time, I can at least comfort myself with the knowledge that come race day, my body will be in prime shape.

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