Marathon Monday and Race Recap

Like any other Saturday, I got up early and laced up my tennis shoes headed out the door.  The difference was that I wasn't headed out for a long run, I was headed out to run the Turkey Trot 5k at Fox Island.  My goal was simple, to have a good time and not injure myself - I am far too close to my marathon to do something stupid now!

I let the "top runner" in our age group go and settled into a comfortable pace.  I started out easy, trying not to swear at all the little ones who don't quite understand race etiquette and kept running in the middle of the trail so you couldn't pass, or even running and cutting in front of me.  That first mile was a test of my patience for sure.  After the first mile, the crowd finally started to thin out some and  I ended up running side by side with another top runner of similar age for a while.  After I bit I decided I had just a bit more to give so I slowly pushed the pace up a bit.  I ran behind two people for a bit letting them control the pace and even out my breathing and the like.

As I approached about 2.25 2.5 miles I saw the "top runner" up ahead - I figured she was probably too far ahead to catch but I wanted to push myself just a bit, so I politely asked to pass and upped my speed a bit.  I somehow managed to get within sprinting distance of the "competition" and decided to just hang there for a  bit.  As I saw the finish line in view I tried to push ahead of her and she took off, my kick wasn't going to be enough so I told her "great job, you got it... finish strong, I don't have it today."  Yet somehow, as we hit the pavement my legs decided they have more to give and I pushed hard (my garmin shows 6:00 something min/mile at the end).

I was able to cross the finish mat just a hair ahead of her, and chip time showed I had won my age group by .2 seconds!  I have never been more proud of winning my age group.  I have done it before, but I felt like I ran this race smart and to me, that means more than the pie I won.  I have been struggling with the "mental" side of running and I feel like I am finally making some progress there!

As far as my "Marathon Monday" summary - here's how it went.  It's not nearly as exciting now a days, the miles aren't as long and quite frankly I am ENJOYING IT!  Maybe "taper madness" will settle in sometime in the next two weeks?  (I highly doubt it!)

Tuesday: 5 miles
Wednesday: 8 miles
Friday: 12 miles
Saturday: 3.1 miles
   Total for the week: 28.1 miles (ahh, loving the taper!)

Friday's long run was one of my fastest during my marathon training (9 minute miles).  I meant to take it easy, but I am blaming the speed on the mileage cutback as well as having a time limit for the run. (Nothing interesting to note here, it was loops around the Y, no bathroom breaks or walk breaks, WOOHOO)


In the category of "bad news" I think I am getting a touch of a cold... anyone have any tips to clear this mess up quickly?  I am trying to remember the vitamins every day as well as stay  hydrated - anything else I am missing?