Two weeks of tapering

Going to start posting my weekly log, primarily because my Garmin watch battery has died so I have lost the convenience of it automatically downloading all of my runs to a file. Beware when you buy these GPS watches, the batteries eventually run down. If there are some on the market with replaceable batteries, look only at those, otherwise I would stay away. The service price is almost as much as a new watch.

Anyway...

Monday (17th): 8 miles up the Burke, through Ravenna Park, and along the south shore of Greenlake.

Tuesday (18th): Rest.

Wednesday (19th): 8 miles with 4 miles at theshold on the Burke Gilman. I went out to the end of the Burke in Salmon Bay and back, and I'm amazed that I never knew that Google and Adobe have fairly large offices along the canal from Lake Union to the Sound. I am incredibly jealous of their cafeteria - they have beers on tap from local breweries.

Thursday (20th): 8 miles in the Arboretum and Foster's Island.

Friday (21st): Rest.

Saturday (22nd): 22 miles at Cougar Mountain. I was going to hit up the Iron Horse Trail for a contour run but I read that it requires a permit during this time of year. Lame. Two classic loops around Cougar with the big climb on the backside, and sans the small loop near Indian Trail.

Sunday (23rd): Rest.

First taper week total: 56 miles, ~3000ft vertical.

Monday (24th): 10 miles out-and-back to Lower Woodland via the Burke Gilman and Ravenna Park/Avenue. I did a circuit around the Lower Woodland 5K course which brought back memories. Having climbed 5000'+ peaks in my ultras, widowmaker and the camel humps seem like anthills.


Tuesday (25th): Rest.

Wednesday (26th): 8 miles out-and-back on the Burke Gilman.

Thursday (27th): Rest.

Friday (28st): 8 miles out-and-back to "the wall" through the Arboretum.

Saturday (29nd): 14 miles out-and-back to Golden Gardens. This uses the same route as the Mountains to Sound Relay, which has recently became one of my favorite runs. It hangs out on the Burke Gilman from the UW to its end at the Fred Meyer in Salmon Bay, snaking all the way along the north shore of Lake Union. From there, I run on Shilshole Avenue and follow the train tracks to the Chittenden Locks. I feel like this is fairly safe, even during the week when there is industrial traffic, because the shoulders on the road are huge and the tracks are a terminal railyard. After the train tracks the Burke Gilman starts up again and runs parallel to the sound until it terminates at Golden Gardens.

Sunday (30rd): 4 miles barefoot on the Burke. It was close to freezing and didn't feel particularly good on my feet, but it's been a while since I've done this much barefooting. Like playing guitar, you lose the conditioning of your skin if you don't keep it up.

Second taper week total: 44 miles, ~1000ft vertical.

Going into the third and final week before the 100, I will run maybe once or twice and spend the other days stretching, doing some strength work on my stabilizer muscles, and getting rested. I find that the best tapering starts slowly, losing maybe 10% the first week and 20% the second week, then plummeting by 80%+. You feel so rested and energized, and by the time you get to the start you can't wait to race.