Some words about running.
I don't even know where to begin. This was the hardest blog post I've ever written. I'm usually able to sit down after a race and hammer out my thoughts, but this time is different. I needed time. Time to rest. Time to recover. Time to reflect. Time to clear my mind and get back to normal. This race took a lot out of me, not just physically, but mentally and emotionally. It was hard - the hardest thing I've ever done, and I'm just now wrapping my head around it all.
Well, that time has come. After 20 weeks of training that saw me run over 925km, I am finally Boston Bound. Over the past few weeks I've been tapering, scaling back my effort and fine tuning a few particular things before the big day. I've slowly shifted my eating to ensure that I am both lean and well-fuelled for race day. More calories, clean food, lean proteins and complex carbs - and lots of water. I've continued to work on my speed and, in particular, my target race pace.
It's that time of training again. Tapering. Admittedly one of the weirdest parts of marathon training, I've learn to love tapering over the years. In a nutshell, tapering means that you run fewer kilometres and you rest more. When you've been training you ass off for months through the gruelling winter, running harder and further every week, focussed in on your goal, scaling things back 3 weeks before the race just feels wrong. You're heading for that goal. You can see it. Why am I slowing down now? This makes no sense. The answer? Science. And I don't argue with science.
Marathon training is a lot like a roller coaster ride. There are ups and downs. It's fun and scary. You're both nervous and excited. Sometimes you can see what's coming next, and other times you get pulled in a totally unexpected direction. Sometimes during the ride, you just want it to end. But once it's done, you want to do it again.
We're raising money to send kids to summer camp. By giving these kids the opportunity to attend summer camp, we're changing their lives for the better. Camp provides them with the opportunity to experience new things, develop skills, learn about trust, leadership, and teamwork, build strong friendships, foster self confidence, and most importantly, we will be giving them the opportunity to realize their full potential.
I'm pretty lucky in that I get to travel a decent amount for work. Earlier this week I was in Victoria, British Columbia for a work event. While work travel can throw a wrench into your workout routine, I completely take advantage of it. I see it as an opportunity to explore. Read more about my weekend on vancouver Island in which I ran over 50km, including an 8km Trail Race.
