Tapering Time

This week, I begin my taper for the Mountains 2 Beach Marathon, which is on May 21. I plan to share six things I learned about running this week as I update you on last week’s training.

When Recovering From an Injury, Your Pace Will Not Be the Same

I must keep reminding myself to pay attention to the heart rate metrics and stop worrying about hitting the same paces I ran before my injury. I had almost 500 miles (800 km) in the training bank before my foot injury, and I already ran a 20-mile (32 km) long run. The pace will return soon, and it’s best not to risk injury trying to resume my previous pace too quickly.

Heat Slows Your Pace

I knew that heat slows your pace, but I needed to be reminded. I re-learned this before I left for Vegas. Last Tuesday, I had my first speedwork session since my injury, and the weather was 77 degrees Fahrenheit (25 degrees Celsius) at the start of my workout. My first exposure to heat this season, coupled with the fitness I lost during injury, resulted in a less-than-optimal feeling running experience. All my runs in Las Vegas involved some portion with 80 – 87 degrees Fahrenheit (27 – 31 degrees Celsius) heat. I accepted that I would be slower and still recovering from injury. In the end, I got my miles in.

Having Access to Miles of Trails Only a Mile Away With One Major Traffic Light Is a Blessing

Theoretically, I could run an out-and-back marathon from near my house and never need to wait for a traffic light or run in a repetitive loop. While in Las Vegas, my 20-mile run had ten minutes and forty seconds of non-moving time. In addition, I needed to make multiple loops on the University of Las Vegas Campus to reach my distance goals each day.

Just Let the Watch Run

Since I don’t cross many major intersections when I run, I usually pause my watch at traffic lights. However, in Las Vegas, I just let the watch run. The wait time was much longer, and I felt I was getting a benefit from the wait time, so I allowed my watch to keep running. I did not have to worry about restarting my watch, which was a benefit.

Preparing for Runs in a Hotel Room Is a Hassle

Making my electrolyte soft flask, filling my hydration pack bladder, and preparing my post-run sports drink were cumbersome. The hotel room did not have a refrigerator. Two trips to the ice machine were required to prepare three liters (100 fl. oz.) of liquids. To make the electrolyte, I needed to make ice water in my sports drink bottle first, then add the chilled water to my flask with the electrolyte powder. Then I filled my sports drink bottle and hydration bladder with as much ice as possible and added water.

My Eureka Moment

After my five-mile (8 km) recovery run on Sunday, I stretched my calves and had a eureka moment. When I stretched my soleus, I felt some strain near my ankles in the same place I was sore from my first marathon. After finishing the Cascade Express Marathon, my ankles were very sore. When planning to run my next marathon, the plan to address this pain was to run more weekly mileage in training, focusing on Zone 2 for easy runs. My weekly mileage peaked at 35 miles for my first marathon. For this marathon, I peaked at 57 miles. For my first marathon training block, I ran 445 miles for just over 83 hours. I still have the taper and race for my current plan, but I have already run 584 miles for over 110 hours. The plan to run more weekly mileage has paid off. My ankles hurt during my 16-, 17-, and 18-mile (25-, 37-, 29 km) long runs in my first training block. I have not had any ankle pain during this training block.

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Overall, it was a great week of running, and I look forward to the taper. Do you have any running lessons to share? Please leave them in the comments below.