Riding the DAM Taper

Wow! A week of taper!

Ironically, it felt strange to remember that I actually had a half marathon happening on Saturday, June 1st. Not only  did the date sneak up on me, but my mind and body just didn’t have the usual mojo to properly train.

Even with an erratic spring, in terms of stress and more than usual busyness, there was no way I’d sit this one out. Alas, the week of taper was upon me…

 Before I dis on the deets from last week, welcome to the Weekly Run Down!

I love hosting this link-up with Deborah (from Confessions of a Mother Runner)! If you write a fitness-based blog, you're invited to join the party. The link-up opens at 8:00AM (EST) on Sundays and remains open through noon on Monday. We love reading about everyone's weekly fitness endeavors, training highlights (or low lights) and race recaps. We ask that you link back to both hosts, and we encourage you to read/comment on the other linked blog as well...please don't link-drop & dash ;-)

Sunday - the joke was on me

The forecast had looked sketchy, at least in terms of possible/probable rain. When I awoke to a break in the precip, I quickly suited-up and got outside for a much-needed 2-mile shakeout run. The thing is, any and all subsequent rain was MIA for the remainder of the day. I wish that were true for the wind, because my long bike ride ended at five miles due to the crazy double-digit gusts. Max did take me for  a nice 1-mile walk after dinner, though.

Monday - gratitude for the freedom to run

Although it was breezy, the temps were nice and the sunshine was beautiful on Memorial Day. There was nothing crazy on the roster, but another easy-peasy 2-mile morning run, some household stuff, a 2-mile afternoon walk, and a few short walks with Max. Overall, it was a nice, relaxing day.

Tuesday- Taking it easy 

Another simple, low-impact Tuesday, compete with a favorite Barre class and a core workout before heading to work. The sunshiny weather dictated a mid-morning walk, and another 2-miler over lunch. 

Wednesday- double workout!

I met-up with Hannah and Bill for the weekly 4:45 group run 3-miler (yes, I’m loving this new Wednesday routine!). Michele and I got out for a 1-mile walk mid-morning at work, and (again) I was able to walk a couple miles over my lunch. 

After work, the weather was simply beautiful. I postponed my dinner (leftovers, LOL) in favor of a 16-mile ride on the trail. It’s hard to believe this time last year, I already had four weeks of hilly bike path rides done (remember those hilly rides, most of which were in the wind?).

Thursday- a double-workout Thankful Thursday 

As per usual, I was up and out the door for the weekly early morning (virtual) meet-up with Deb. We both walked four miles, amidst the sunrise (hers rose an hour earlier, ha!). Afterwards, I cued-up an upper-body extravaganza, via Peloton (title pic, above), involving a lot of bicep work and numerous single arm cleans. There also were two different 1-milers walked at work. 

Remember Barb? She was in the vicinity, Thursday, so she stopped by (after I got home). Any guesses what we did? (If you guessed that we ran three miles & briefly caught up on the latest happenings, you guessed correctly). 

Friday - A low-key taper finale

Since I'd run the evening prior (and had the D2D 13.1 the next morning), walking was where it was at. I got out for a 2-mile sunrise walk, and it was breathtaking. I also had a 1-mile mid-morning walk with Susan (at the office) and a 1-mile lunch walk in the sunshine.

Saturday - back at the DAM!

Since my spring training wasn't ideal, in my opinion, I toed the DAM to DSM start line with the strategy of ZERO hopes or expectations. I've run this race 15 times (and biked it, virtually, in 2020 when I was hosting that unfortunate stress fracture), and the sub-2 finish time seems to always be taunting me. I've come close on many occasions (actually, I've hit that sub-2 a few times when the race was a 20K). In recent years, though, the weather has been dangerously hot, so the conditions haven't warranted any heroic efforts. This year, my plan was to (1) simply run, (2) not dwell on any specific finish time(s), and (3) to just enjoy the race and its unique route. Suffice it to say all went well; actually much better than anticipated. I finished in 2:10:50, feeling quite victorious...and that was with numerous walking breaks in the final 3-ish miles. I'll be sharing some thoughts, insights and takeaways in the recap, hopefully on Tuesday.

…and what's on deck for Sunday?

The forecast is looking a bit damp and dreary in the afternoon, but the morning is looking ideal for a long-ish bike ride. That will be a perfect active recovery endeavor for these post-half marathon legs (which actually aren't feeling too weary for the wear).

So, all in all, this turned out to be a fantastic week on so many levels. The biking was a bit meager, with 31 miles. The running saw 23 (and change) for mileage. Walking was strong with 22 miles. There were a couple of good upper-body sessions and some PT to keep the legs in-check.

In case you missed out, here’s what went down on the blog this week:

Sunrises & Shakeouts & Shenanigans

Some Pre-Summer 'Fessions

In other news:

Friday Fashion Flair. It’s definitely looking and feeling like summer, and I’m all about it! I've mentioned how it tends to feel chilly in my office, especially when it's warm outside. A solution that works for me is to throw on a sleeveless sweater. There's warmth without looking like you're still lost in winter. Besides, this mint green "designer original" (knit by yours truly) is a great shade for the summer season.

As part of my active recovery from the race, I went for a 10-mile bike ride late Saturday afternoon...and it's looking like the mulberries are ripening! One thing I noticed, in recent years as I've been hitting the bike trails, there's a plentitude of mulberry trees along the routes. We had a mulberry tree in our backyard, while living in Michigan (1995-2002), and I developed a fondness for these sweet little morsels of summer. It's been fun seeing them along the various trails, and now they're (again) practically in my backyard. Score!

So, that's the latest and greatest as I worked my way through a week of taper. With this half marathon behind me now, my summer will be chock full of easy-paced running (with a few short-distance races thrown in) and lots of biking.

How did your final week of May play-out? Any weekend racing? Significant workouts that need mention? 

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