Connemarathon here I come, tapering...

[Katy.a]

A slack week in training last week as a result of the double whammies of revision supervision and developing skills for future nobel peace prize nomination (to prevent the Little Darlings killing each other over half term). So no sneaking off for an hour or two last week.

Revved up what the LDs sweetly call my prosthetic feet and went out for 22 miler yesterday. My training is going backwards - is this normal? Feel cream-crackered and running slower than I did when I had fewer miles on the clock and was (presumably) less fit... slower than slow (on current showing would be lucky to get round in 4 hours, which is the goal), and added to this - the Paula Radcliffe experience. Filled my water bottle with lime and pineapple squash (the theory being extra sugar to keep me going and a clean and refreshing flavour in the mouth). However it proved to be cleansing for other parts of the digestive system and necessitated 2 emergency stops - this is no joke when wearing a high-viz jacket on the top of the Downs with no friendly bushes for miles. However, looking for the positives, no local hard man to sneer, no wind/ice/snow, no random rent-a-mob marathon encounter and remarkably I eventually made it home. I am just so sick of hitting the wall and dread the pain I know will follow as I start a run. I can't tell you the relief I feel knowing that next time I go out for that distance it'll be the real thing – then I can STOP!!!!

Looking forward hugely to gentle 10 milers and cosy sessions on the cross-trainer, even with the boredom factor it seems like a treat.

Any tapering tips? By how much do you cut down each week?
Laying in industrial quantities of jelly babies and heavy duty painkillers in anticipation....


xxK