HM2 wk 12 Tapering!

Race day is within the week! Just a few easy runs left to go before I get to the start line.

I've really enjoyed training this year. There's been a few duff runs, either through tiredness, feeling grotty or unfortunate planetary alignments, but on balance I've been enjoying the runs and feeling that this is an attainable project. I've previously commented about being able to control my pace on the long slow runs. The 2 hour runs have gone well, running by far the majority of them. One was more of a run/walk due to a cold which was understandable, and I'm pleased that I got out there for the required time. My pace has been controlled and although I've covered less distance than might be hoped, the terrain I've been training on has been much more hilly than the mostly flat race route. The profile goes down from the start, stays mostly flat for the majority, then goes uphill for the last 3 miles. Living near the crest of a hill means I'm well used to huffing my way up at the end of my runs. Compared to last year  I've also found that recovery has been easier with less tiredness, aches and niggles. I'm hoping that I won't be hobbling for 2 weeks after this HM!

Since my first run, I've kept a spreadsheet of all my runs. I've done about the same amount of training runs as last year, again the ones that have been missed off most have been the intervals. Given that the first month of training was somewhat interrupted, I feel that I've caught up well. In recent weeks, I've managed a few complete weeks from my plan.

So what next? My current guess is that much of this month will be a rest phase based on all my previous races! Then we'll be low on daylight. The local 10k should be on in the spring, so I think it's most likely and practical that like last year, I'll concentrate on speed for shorter distances. I'd better be looking out for 5k Santa runs as well. I've got a few variables lined up in the ether, so repeating this strategy keeps running practical around life, and keeps my options open. When I said "not yet" last time round, but kept my body used to running for an hour, it meant that it was "easy" to increase the distance this summer, even when the early weeks of training couldn't fit around the plan. I can safely say that I'm not doing the 2016 London Marathon, or any other marathon in the near future, and rather unlikely to do an HM in the next 6 months!

Roll on Sunday 11 October, I'm as ready as I'll ever be...