I am only 9 sleeps and 5 training runs away from the Canberra marathon and I have to say there is an unexpected calm. Taper has not been the horrific agonising process I was braced for. Of course the expected “doubt” has seeped in from time to time but I seem to have that in check…for now!
In fact the lower mileage and (now) drop back in intensity have been welcomed with open arms. I think that having a body and mind that were ready to back it off has made taper much easier this time.
The other big contributor to making taper almost pain-free is my exceptionally busy life at the moment. From Good Friday till today it has been non-stop and I think all these activities have not left me a second to even contemplate what I am or aren’t doing and especially what lay ahead…42.2km of bitumen.
If you want a good read on what to expect during taper check out Laura’s post. Since taper has been a non-event though I thought I’d share what is on my mind instead…
Taking a 1 year old on an aeroplane for the first time…
AHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHH!
(Ps if you have any tips please feel free to leave your 2 bob below)
Caring for my other little babies
Between the herbs, Grapes & Fruit trees I already had a busy watering schedule. Now we have 3 different patches of lawn (some roll-out & some seed) that are requiring constant water and care. As demanding as it is in the early days I can not tell you how rewarding I have found it to grow lawn from seed. I just wish Little A was old enough to have enjoyed it with us. That said he does love the hose and we don’t return from watering duties DRY!
Parenting
It seems the days of “caring” for a baby are over. Little A is now “testing” the boundaries (and my patience!) and well if I had to come up with one word to describe the last 3-4 weeks it would be pure and utter DEFIANCE! Unfortunately I didn’t see it coming and feel like I started on the back foot. But I am slowly reading up and putting strategies in place and hoping to see more obedience and less defiance soon. I feel like I am REALLY earning my stripes as a parent now! Feeding, changing and caring for a baby seems like a breeze compared to the mental challenges of my days at the moment.
And as if this new development wasn’t enough to get my head around Little A has just started to cut his one year old molars. So amongst all this I have had a little bit of an unsettled and clingy boy too.
As tough as the moments,hours or days can be – when I come out the other side of it I really do feel like I have grown as a person and a mother. Little A teaches me so much!
I’m so excited
Pre-marathon we are going to hang out with my brother and his beautiful family for a few days. It seriously does not get any better than hanging out with these people…
Also, when I get to Canberra I am going to get to meet so many wondeful people from the running community that I have got to know over the last year. I especially can NOT wait to meet the ever-fabulous KATE! Lots of tweet-up pics I promise!
So that is pretty much life at the moment. I have my final long run this weekend of 90 minutes before a SUPER light week next week.
I will officially start carb loading on Thursday and will do a short (few km) “shake out” run on Saturday before the race.
I have done a lot of things differently this time around and I can’t wait to sit down and reflect on what I have learnt from this training cycle and what I will do better next time.
Quickly a big shout out to Paul who is running the Clare half marathon this weekend – Good Luck!!!
