With only 1 more sleep to go, everything is pretty much on track and with no taper tantrums in sight!
I wasn’t sure if I would have time to sit down and write this post, but I thought it ought to be done, so I’m checking in quickly before my busy day starts. Here goes…
This final week leading up to the Blackmores Sydney Marathon has been pretty smooth sailing, actually this whole 8 weeks of training has been, dare I say, easy?! Whoops! No, not easy, but surprisingly drama free. My runs have all been great, my body has been recovering well and I haven’t had any injuries (touch wood). I have felt quite relaxed about everything along the way and simply enjoyed the journey. A journey that I wouldn’t have even considered had it not been for the wonderful people at SKINS Compression. They have provided me with great support from the start and not only with their fantastic compression wear. Firstly, there was the lovely Viv who was always willing to answer my one million questions and help me out with my race day outfit. And then there’s super tri-athlete Matilda Raynolds who wrote me a personalised training plan, was more than happy to help me out with all of my training quieries, reassure me that I was doing well every step of the way with her expert advice, and also sent me a lovely email yesterday wishing me luck making me feel more confident with her kind words. This really has been a fantastic experience! So thank you SKINS! Thanks a bunch!!
As for my last week of training, it’s of course been an easy one in regards to kilometeres I’ve run. I did a long run last Saturday from my place to the Rachel’s Runners track to meet up with some of the others running in Blackmores events. Then I did 10km alone on Tuesday afternoon, which wasn’t so great, but I got through it! Finally for my last pre-race run I went out on Wednesday afternoon with my share teacher and lovely friend Bronwen. We ran along another of the many waterways around our local area and after feeling not-so-great the day before, I felt much better.
And that’s it! I’m all trained up! I have had a few rest days since. I went and had a massage on Thursday with Christine from Southern Sports and Health Massage, who, I tell you, can make you feel 100% better after leaving and for days afterwards. She said I’m in really good shape – my legs are feeling strong, my body has recovered well throughout training and that I’m ready to run. If you ever have any injuries, niggles or general health issues and you live in southern Sydney, you should make the effort to visit Christine. I promise, you won’t be disappointed!
Yesterday I went shopping with my lovely mum, which is what we like to do most Fridays. I bought a fancy new dress for our Rachel’s Runners end of year celebration, had a nice sushi lunch and got my nails done. I even managed a little afternoon nap! Another relaxing day off running.
You may be aware that when people are training for long distance sporting events such as a marathon, and they have to taper their distances in the final weeks of training so the body can rest and recover, they are susceptible to tapering tantrums or blues. Fortunately I’ve had none of that this time. I think it’s mainly because I’ve run the distance before and know I can make it. I also haven’t placed any time constraints on myself. I do not have a specific time goal in mind, instead I have a one hour window in which I hope to be finishing. After the last marathon and knowing how mentally tough the last 10-12km are, I just want to get out there, do my best on the day and know that finishing a marathon is a massive achievement. Only 1% of the entire population will ever achieve such a thing, so I’m extremely happy with that.
Today I have a big day of organising ahead to get to my final city hotel destination tonight. Somewhere nice and close to the start of the race so hubby and I and the rest of our Rachel’s Runners team can get up early and psyche ourselves up to run! We are all meeting up for a nice pasta dinner tonight to fuel our bodies and lots of great company and conversation which will fuel our minds and hearts, I’m sure.
See you on the other side of the marathon!
2 Comments
Rachel, I wish you every happiness as you run this marathon, I wish I had entered the fun run with the family but there is always next year =)
To all of the RR girls enjoy!
Thanks so much Kathy! Yes, next year for sure 🙂