This is my last training recap before the big day! This past week of training began my taper with the Hansons Marathon Method.

Monday- Since I had the day off for Columbus Day, I thought about going somewhere to go trail running (maybe Hungry Mother State Park). But then it was cold and rainy most of the day. I was still getting over my sinus infection and I had already spent the previous day running for over 2 hours in the cold rain.

So I hung out with Sven for an easy 7 miles while watching TV coverage of the World Gymnastics Championships (the U.S. women’s team took gold and the men’s team earned bronze!).

Tuesday- 6 x 1 mile with 400m recovery, for 10 miles total. This was my final strength workout for training! I was going to have a long work day on Friday, so I got off work early on Tuesday and was able to do this run at Bisset Park in the early afternoon. It was lucky, too, because we had strong storms and tornado warnings that evening that would have forced me to do this workout on the treadmill.

I was feeling a bit off and just not that into this workout, which is odd for me because these interval workouts have been my favorite throughout training. But it was the last one, so I just focused on each mile and got it done. My goal for the mile repeats was 10:08 and my splits were: 10:01, 9:54, 9:59, 10:04, 9:52, and 10:03. I also forgot to bring any fuel with me, so I only had water during this run. Typically I have one gel about halfway through these longer workouts.

I had some nice views of all of the changing leaves along the river as I ran. I also had to be careful during my run because it was pretty windy. In addition to leaves falling off of those trees, there were walnuts (still inside their green husks, about the size of a tennis ball) falling like bombs from the trees. I was really lucky not to get hit in the head by any of them, but I spent portions of my run with my hands over my head for extra protection. Some of them were falling so fast that the husks were busting open when they hit the ground!

Wednesday- It was a gorgeous fall day outside, if not a bit unseasonably warm when I got home from work. But I was having one of those days, where you just don’t feel like going anywhere or being around anyone by the time you make it to the post-work portion of your day. I can’t be the only one who has days like that, can I?

Despite the gorgeous weather and the changing leaves, I hung out in the basement with Sven and reruns of 19 Kids & Counting (my show lately, for some reason) for an easy 6 miles.

Wednesdays are usually my rest days, but I moved Friday’s easy run to Wednesday this week because of my upcoming long workday.

Thursday- 10 mile tempo run for 12 miles total. I did this run on the treadmill because it was pouring rain when I got home from work and it was going to be well after dark when I finished running. On a side note, I’m glad I picked a late October marathon. It’s just now getting dark enough early enough that it gets hard to fit in these longer runs after work. Perfect timing.

The middle 10 miles were meant to be done at marathon pace (10:18/mile) and I ended up averaging 10:15/mile. I felt pretty good throughout the entire run. I watched Remember The Titans while I ran. Such a great movie with a great soundtrack. It was my way of pregamming before watching the Hokies play Pittsburgh. Unfortunately, I think the Hokies offense forgot to get on the bus before they drove up to Pitt. It was a rough game.

This tempo run was my final workout of training. From here on out it’s all easy running before the big day.

Friday- Rest day. As I already mentioned, I had a 15 hour work day that started at 4:00 AM. A run was just not going to happen before that. Which is why I planned ahead and did my Friday easy run on Wednesday. I got home a little after 7:00 PM and was in bed by 8:45 🙂

Saturday- Easy 6 miles on the lake loop trail around Hungry Mother State Park. It was definitely worth the drive (about an hour) to run trails at Hungry Mother because the leaves were beautiful! I was worried if I waited until after Marine Corps, most of the leaves would have fallen off of the trees.

There were already a lot of leaves on the trail, so I was extra cautious not to roll an ankle on the hidden rocks and roots. Nevertheless, it felt great to be back in my trail shoes again!

I took a lot of trail pictures during this run. I’m planning on sharing the rest of them later this week!

Sunday- Met up with Kim for 8 miles easy on the Dora and New River Trails. It was a very chilly morning. The temp’s were only in the low 40’s, but it felt like mid-30’s with the wind. For the first time in a long time I ran in capris, which felt weird.

The clouds were very ominous looking during our run, but we never got rained on. The sun made them look really dark. This was my last longer run before Marine Corps! Everything else is 6 miles or less from here on.

Total Miles: 49 miles (which seems like a lot the week before a marathon, but I feel fine)