Taper Time!

Doesn’t everyone go on a four day tennis trip during the week before their marathon? Probably not the best idea for my race but I had a great time! The race this weekend has always been my B race so am not expecting any sort of PR – more of a goal to just finish it. I have decided marathons must be a lot like having children. The first is full of packing lists and fear of the unknown. The second marathon you strive to do better, you know what to expect and want to improve based on what you learned last time. This third race, well, I will be lucky if I remember to bring my running shoes. Seriously.

I was perusing the website for an idea of the hills that might be part of this race. I have decided that whether you think the race is hilly or not depends on where you live. The one review I read that I am hoping is correct said that “Atlantans would consider the race to be flat”. Good enough for me! As an Atlantan, I will take comfort in the relatively flatness. :) On a side note, there is nothing like reading race reviews to get you pumped up for the race. There are so many nice comments about the Chickamauga Marathon from the scenery to the cannon start and the post race food. I can’t wait!

I have bought a few GU Gels in anticipation of Saturday's race but have not given a lot of thought to it beyond a little mid race fuel. My prep for this weekend is completely different than the obsessive preparation I had for my first race. It is interesting how laid back I feel about it this time. To be honest, I have a very slight knee issue that concerns me so maybe I am avoiding a race prep to avoid thinking about the knee. After my last long run, my right knee hurt going down stairs. The pain after resting a few days was extremely slight and behind the knee cap but recurred this weekend after many hours of tennis. think it will be OK but a little unusual so hoping for the best.

This past weekend I was invited to go to Big Canoe in North GA with 11 other ladies from my tennis team. I am new to the team so it was a great chance to get to know everyone and was excited to be asked. I was a little concerned about messing up my running schedule but wanted to take part of the group outing so took a chance and threw my running plan out the window. We rented a 5 BR home and spent Friday through Monday playing tennis, eating and playing games. Such a great time! I brought my running shoes thinking I might get my 8 miles in that were on the calendar but when I saw the hills I quickly changed my mind! We are talking serious hills…

Some shots from the weekend...