Yesterday was our last long run. It went really well, IMO. I feel pretty good today. Since I’m a data geek, I compared last year’s performance to this year. I haven’t been doing any extra running, and probably have done less extracurricular work, like foam rolling and core workouts. But I’ve changed my diet pretty dramatically, embraced heart rate training and lost about 20 lb. These didn’t show up on my times, which were pretty close, but if you look at the two heart rate charts, I spent a lot more time at a lower heart rate.
2013 TNT Monterey Run Heart Rate data
2014 TNT Monterey Run Heart Rate data
I am hoping this approach keeps me fresher for the end of the Chicago Marathon. It would be really nice to break five and a half hours, but I would be happy with any kind of improvement over my 6:00:44 finish at Nike.
And now, I’m in taper mode. This is my favorite part of the season because it means I’ve already done the hard work and the only thing I can do is screw it up. So, I’m going to avoid doing anything too strenuous and will focus on eating right and getting enough rest. Of course, I got my Chicago Packet Pickup info, so the nerves have kicked in already!