Miss Piggy, Steve's Skinny & Taper Plan

First off if you haven't read the comments from my first entry Cynthia forwarded on an awesome article on hips and the issues related to under active glutes. It really is a must read for runners and I have done the outlined stretches and strength sequence a couple of times now. It really does wonders for ROM in the lower body and will introduce you to your tight or weak muscles. Read it here. Thanks Cynthia for passing this along.

This was my last week of training before my taper for 2 Moon. It was a stiff week and I am happy to report my knee held up for all my workouts but it was touch and go. I was incredibly agitated and nervous at the beginning of every run waiting for my left leg to give me the green light or send a zinger to my knee letting me know my running plans were to immediately be halted. I am not yet 100% but I think I can make it through this event but I won't be without my trusty bandages. My biggest thought is not setting myself back now so I can train like I want for Hardrock.

Thursday I had a tempo run which was around 10 miles long with only 4 at threshold pace of 7:10. It snowed again so I headed to my favorite fitness loop. This felt like it was the right thing to do as the 2 mile path made it easy for me to bail if my knee began acting up. I got a new outfit! Really super cool white tights with a grey waistband and grey swirls all over the white. I paired this with a even cooler bright orange zip top. I am total girl when it comes to clothes. I absolutely love workout gear and Bill is constantly making fun of how many shorts or running shirts one girl needs. I explain it's really not about need. :) Anyway as I did my progressive warm up to my tempo portion I was at about mile 4 when I slipped on the mud and went straight down into the mud. Now covered with nasty clay like mud on my right side I was pissed. There is a soft spot on the path that's about 10 feet long and everyone goes around it. Since there are walkers and other runners on the path I decided to take the right side instead of the left. Unfortunately the right side has a 6 inch slope. Yes, only a six inch slope and when I landed on it my foot when right out from under me and plop! I was in the mud like a pig. The old people walking were so sweet, "Honey are you okay?" One guy said, "it's okay I know it's embarrassing". My reply...."I am fine and not embarrassed just mad I ruined my really cool outfit"! I was serious. Another 6 miles in this mud suit seeing the same people was actually funny but I rushed home and feverishly tried to salvage my now not so new outfit. The good news is my tempo run went great.

Saturday was our last big training run. Steve organized "Steve's Skinny Ass". We planned to do loops on Powell Butte. Each loop is 6.3 miles long and gains 1000 feet per loop. I wanted to get in 6. We arrived at 7:30 to a good sized crowd. Steve marked the maze like loop on Friday. It was to be a nice day but the winds on top of Powell Butte were something else. They were extremely strong and they were those frigid east winds out the gorge. Buurrrrrrr. They were so strong I had to tuck my braids inside my jacket because they were smacking my face really hard. Once we were off the top and into the forest it was perfect but we hit that ridge 2 times per loop. The first two laps were pretty somber for me. My knee was acting up a bit as I favored it greatly on the downhills. Trying hard to just be in my own space, find my groove and walk if I needed was the perfect plan. As I finished up my second loop my body was coming around and my stride was normalizing. I have been staying on flat ground for the last couple of weeks trying to get quality workouts in without jeopardizing my recovery so the hills were being re-introduced. By the third loop I was feeling good and my quads were firing like they should. Nothing like adapting on the fly. Most folks did 3 loops and called it a day. I was done at 5 feeling like I needed to leave on a high note. I felt strong and re-energized being about to run each loop better. Micheal was the only one that persevered and did 6. What a great little urban park.

Now it's taper time! Here is my taper plan. I have gotten some emails and comments inquiring about tapering. This plan is relatively normal for any 100M race I do. If you double click on the chart it should get bigger. This week I will start to work on drop bag and a fuel plan. Micheal did a good pace chart already so I will use that. I am excited to get on those trails at 2 Moon. I have heard nothing but great reports from folks who have run there before.