The beginning of the end

I finished a solid 54 mile week on sunday with a 13.1 run in 1:37. That puts me at a 3:14 pace, just a few minutes beyond the 3:10:59 BQ time for a 31 year old man. Now it's time for the taper, the switch to the racing flats, and some carbo loading.

The race is on 12/20, just 12 days away. For the two week taper, I am going to keep up the streak (which is going for almost 2 years now!) and run 38, which is about a 33% reduction in mileage and then cut it to 20 miles for the 6 days prior to the race.

I will be running in my Saucony Fastwitch 3 flats (mine are a much more attractive shade of Gator orange) which I used in 2 half marathons last year. This will be my first 26.2 mile race in that style of shoe. In the past, switching to the lighter shoe has shaved some 10-15 seconds per mile off my pace. Whether that is a real effect, a tapering effect, or a placebo effect is irrelevant to me, as long as it is an effect.

So, 4 miles yesterday, 6 done this morning. I am going to alternate those distances until Sunday when I'll run 10.