Taper Madness

I'm tapering...so I have many things to think about, which for me, is not good. On Saturday my "coach" asked me what my race plan was, which really got me thinking. My "goal" time is 3:20:00, my "stretch goal" is 3:18:00, and my "satisfied goal" is 3:25:00. I really feel like I'm trained well enough to run a 3:20:00, though there are SO many variables that can come into this. My plan is to run the first half in 1:42:30 (7:49 / mile). This will help me get through the hills which are for the most part, over at the 8.5 mile mark. Then I can gradually "step on the gas" and finish the second half in 1:37:30 (7:28 / mile). Diabetes "plan" during the Marathon I will carry 4 packs of Clif Shot Blocks with me out on the course, and I will give one pack to my girlfriend for an emergency. Race starts at 6:30, so I will be up at3:30-4 am to start my day. I want to get everything "taken care of" before I walk out my door at 5:30 (I live about 2 miles from the start). I will be carrying a meter and strips along with me, but do not plan on using them during the race, I rely soley on my CGMS . HEAT. I was starting to worry that we were going to skip Spring and go right into Summer. My Saturday morning run was miserable, and I've been watching the forecast rather close. The current forecast is showing a high of 70 and a low of 49, with a chance of showers. Not perfect, but close to ideal. In preparation for Sunday I'm trying to get to bed earlier, and trying to drink 100 oz. of water a day. Fall Marathon Unfortunately I was not chosen as a Global Hero for Medtronic. I really wanted to run the Twin Cities Marathon, but now I feel a bit of bitterness, and I'm looking at other options. If everything goes right this will be a BQ attmept, so I'd like to run a "fast" course. Any thoughts would be appreciated. Another caveat is that I want to run NYC, but just to enjoy the sights, I will not be racing NYC. So, I would like to have atleast a few weeks separation between NYC and my BQ attempt. Happy Running & Blood Sugars!

Catching Up!

I woke up Sunday morning (3/29) and went to 7am mass. It was bone dry and about 45F, perfect running weather. I come out of church at 8am and it's raining and gusty, Grrrrr! So being the borderline OCD person I am, I debate in my head for the next hour on what I should wear. I had shorts on, then I decided to put pants on (over top of the shorts mind you), with a long sleeve T and a vest. We parked downtown at about 9:30, and for whatever reason I didn't shed the pants and vest?? My plan was to split the race into 3 5k races getting progressively faster. Well, considering I was burning up after 1 mile, I had a disappointing race. It was a 15k, and I PR'd, with a time of 1:10:13 (a 7:32 pace), I was shooting for a 1:05:00 or so. We'll get 'em next year! On Thursday April 2nd, I had my quarterly appointment with Doctor Parilo. My A1C was 6.2, though I'm happy with that number, I know there is room for improvement. This may hurt me more than it helps me because when I'm not "perfect" it bothers me. I like to look at my CGM chart on my pump and see a straight line on about 105, unfortunately this doesn't happen much. I spent the usual 45 minutes with Doc Parilo, and talked about everything in my life, much more than Diabetes. One of the many reasons he is the best Doc out there, see Diabetic Queen, for confirmation on this! On Sunday April 5th I concluded my week with 53.38 miles. I hit a small blip there in early to mid March with a hip issue, but that seems to have subsided. I'm feeling pretty good. Here is a breakdown of my training for the week of 3/30. Monday - 6 miles Easy Tuesday - 3 x 2 mile at 7:20 - 7:25 pace Wednesday - OFF Thursday - 8 mile Tempo at GMP (7:35-7:40) Friday - OFF Saturday - 18 mile run wit miles 14-17 at GMP (7:35-7:40) Sunday - 8 miles Easy The key run of the week was the 8 tempo, and it went great!