T'was the Week Before the Marathon...

I'm taking taper time to a whole new level and I gotta tell you, it's pretty sweet! In fact, I'm thinking tapering is nearly as rewarding after months of increasingly long training walks as is crossing the finish line on race day. Okay, that's not true. Nothing will be as sweet as crossing the finish line. I was just trying to make a point. Point made but at the cost of a narrative digression. Reverse engines.

I was actually headed in this direction, that being that I haven't done any training walks since my final LSD last Friday because I'm still dealing with Triple S (swelling, soreness, stiffness) in my ankle. I'm usually a quick healer, a compliment medical personnel have often given to me as though I have anything to do with my recuperative tendencies, so I'm surprised by the little progress that's going on here. Regardless, I'm going to plow through a measely 4 miler tomorrow because I can't stand the thought of a total week's mileage of 0. Ouch! My ego just whined in agony. I'm going to follow that up with a final physical therapy appointment on Monday morning and then it's off to Portland for a week where I plan to put in 2-3 miles every day up until THE day. THE day. My stomach just dropped. Excitement. Nervousness. Anticipation. Anxiety. This Sunday afternoon at 2:00 p.m. I'll be able to say "Next week at this time I'll have crossed the finish line." Consider my mind officially blown. You were here when it happened.

It's true that I'm not particularly thrilled that I'm going into marathon week with a widgey ankle but I'm not discouraged or too concerned about it either since it's not going to prevent me from walking across the starting line or the finish line. It just means the journey between the two might be a little less comfortable than I would prefer but hey, the good news is that if my ankle is sore enough I'll hardly notice my aching back, my sore calves, my swollen hands, my thirst, my full bladder, my stiff knees, the heat, the hills, and the fact that my sister will no doubt be fresh as a daisy going into mile 23 while I'm whining, limping, and auditioning for the lead role in "The Anguished Phatgirl." I invite anyone standing on the sidelines to slap her if they notice her dancing to her Ipod at any point in the marathon. It's SO annoying and if I didn't love her so much I'd despise her!

That's why I'm attempting to even the playing field. I know I can't get as fast as my sister by next Sunday so I've taken action to slow her down with random shipments of cookies, chocolates, and other phat-producing foods yet to be delivered to said sister's front door. Seriously, I read an article just today in the new issue of Runner's World Magazine. It seems the experts are now recommending sugar-stuffing and fat-filling in addition to carbo-loading. It makes for a more well-rounded athlete. Seriously Sis. I'm not kidding. Eat. You'll go faster. Trust me.