Sunday, May 1, 2022

Don't Call it a Taper...

Another week of post-race recovery and...another week of training. In 2 weeks, I will finally line up for the Ice Age Trail half marathon, a race that for a variety of reasons has had to be postponed 3 times. I don't think I've ever trained so intensely for a half marathon before! I also don't think I've ever formally tapered for one either. But with back-to-back challenging races in the past 2 weeks, I need to give these legs a break while keeping them moving. As hard as I've been working, I won't deny that there is a certain satisfaction in watching my body respond to it!

This week, I was lucky to be scheduled for a week of continuing education and attended a virtual conference for pediatric nurse practitioners. If anything good has come out of the pandemic, it is some of these remote options. I really like learning this way instead of going to a live event. I'm so grateful to have had this downtime to recover from my race while I learn for my job. It worked out well!

Friday's run
Weekly Rundown
Sunday: Tear Drop Half Marathon
Monday: hike up and down Stone Mountain ~2 miles
Tuesday: REST
Wednesday: trail run 4 miles
Thursday: pool running
Friday: run 6 miles
Saturday: rest

Running

On Sunday, I lined up with my friend Holly for the Tear Drop Half Marathon in Georgia! This is one of her favorite races and for the past 2 years, my attempts to run it with her were thwarted by the pandemic. This year, all the pieces fell into place and we made it happen. I'll be sharing my full recap on Tuesday, but I'll share here that this net downhill race was way more difficult than I expected. Yes, there were some uphills and they were tough! I'm still riding the high of running a tough race and a fun weekend, though.


Even though I was still pretty sore, on Wednesday I laced up my trail shoes and did a short 4 mile loop on the single tracks at the preserve. My legs loosened up as I made my way around the creek. I was still fatigued though, as evidenced by my multiple stumbles as my toe caught tree roots and stumps. I fell once after clipping a stump in the middle of the trail. Luckily, nothing hurt but my pride. There was still a lot of mud which helped me keep it slow. 


I got in a recovery session in the pool on Thursday, which helped immensely! Still tired on Friday morning, I promised myself I'd take it slow and use run/walk intervals. I decided to go with 9:1 intervals and would use more if I needed. It was a blustery morning and the east wind off Lake Michigan was raw, but it helped me hold back my pace. I felt ok, not great, but I finished 6 miles no worse for the wear. I'm grateful to be done with high miles for now.

Hiking

Holly wanted me to see Stone Mountain, so on our way back to ATL, we stopped to visit this historic place. Stone Mountain is a quartz monolith with an elevation of about 1700 feet. There's a skytram that takes visitors to the top, but I had this idea that I wanted to walk up to the top. Holly was game and so up we went. It probably wouldn't have been as hard had we not run a half marathon the day before! The climb was challenging, not only for the elevation but also because the surface was smooth and a bit slippery. There was one particularly steep section where a railing was installed and we definitely needed it both on the up and down. Once at the top we were rewarded with incredible views of the surrounding area. The Atlanta downtown was visible in the distance. 



After we descended, we walked around to the face of the mountain. There is a carving of 3 confederate generals from the civil war, Stonewall Jackson, Robert E Lee, and Jefferson Davis. Interestingly, the artist who did the carving also did Mount Rushmore. It won't surprise you that in recent years, there have been protests and proposals to remove the carving as well as pushback from white nationalists. Being from 'the north', I find the southern perspective on this so fascinating. 

Off the road...

After our race on Sunday, Holly and I explored some of the local wineries in the mountainous area where we were staying. We reviewed all the options and chose 2 wineries we wanted to check out. The first one, Engelheim, was a beautiful spot set into a hillside. We chose our wines and sat outside in the sunshine. There was live music and I could have stayed all day! Our contentment was interrupted by a honking car alarm, which continued to alarm even after the owner turned it off. He took his sweet time and when he finally left after the third round of the honking, people applauded. Our next stop was Grapes and Ladders, which wasn't as opulent but more welcoming. The woman who poured our wines was so welcoming and when we moved out to the patio, we settled into the comfy sofa, relaxing. The wines were good, and the company was great! It was the perfect way to soak up our day.


How was your week? I skipped strength training again this week, instead opting of recovering in the pool. What do you like to do following a hard race? Have you ever been to Stone Mountain? 

Coming up: so many blog posts! I have April's mini book reviews coming out on Monday, my race recap on Tuesday, and I'm joining Deborah and Coco for the Ultimate Coffee Date on Friday. 

I'm linking up with Deborah and Kim for the Weekly Rundown. 


25 comments :

  1. Sounds like you and Holly had a fun time. Wineries!! Yes!!

    Your FB profile pic from the race is the best!

    Your taper sounds like mine. lol;

    Good luck on the trail race.... You got this one!!!

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  2. What a great race photo! I have not mastered that skill yet LOL. Looks like you both had a super fun weekend. I also enjoy pushing myself in training and feeling my body adapt to it. It is hard to explain that feeling but when you know you know. You are more than ready for your trail race!

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    1. I think I am as ready as I can be. This morning's trail run was on the IAT, different segment but similar terrain. My legs are tired.

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  3. Love the smile on your face in the race pic! Sounds like you had so much fun with Holly. Isn't Stone Mtn cool? The South is a very different place for sure!

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    1. I thought Stone Mountain was so interesting! I mean, how does this massive piece of stone plop down in the middle of Georgia? I'm sure the Native Americans had something to say about it.

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  4. Absolutely Brilliant - Over Joyed For Ya - Big Hugs

    Cheers

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  5. Yes, that is a great race picture! All your pictures are beautiful- I love the shots from Stone Mountain. It sounds like an incredible weekend.
    Last renewal cycle we were allowed to do our CEU hours virtually because of Covid. I would love it if they kept that format going forward! So much easier.
    I'm looking forward to the book reviews and race recap!

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    1. I just love going to visit different places and learning about the local culture. It just fascinates me.

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  6. Stone Mountain sounds incredible! How fun to get to hike it with Holly ;-)

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  7. Of course you're not taking the skytram when you can walk up! I would have loved that hike - it looks like an amazing mountain. With or without the generals. :-)
    I love visiting wineries - I wonder if it would officially classify as my hobby? Although I have zero winetasting skills...
    Looking forward to your race recap!

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  8. I love that race day photo of you! Your smile says it all :)

    So fun that you were able to spend some quality time with Holly!

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  9. Great race photo and a lovely weekend. I do like Atlanta and would love to go back. I have had a very tiring morning supporting the Birmingham half-marathon and 10k, great fun, though!

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    1. I think volunteering is at least as hard, if not more difficult than running the actual race! Good for you.

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    2. We had a cheer station for our club but of course called out for everyone we knew / clubs we recognised / the parkrun core team, many of whom were racing ... we were out for over 3 hours, longer than it would have taken me to run the thing, plus 15000 steps walking there, around and back!

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  10. I've only spent time in the Atlanta airport & Savannah in GA! You did so many fun things -- not even counting your half! I do love a net downhill race but right now not sure my body would really appreciated.

    Good luck with Ice Age! I'm so excited you're finally getting to run this race!

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    1. Thanks Judy! I am excited to finally do it (and take a little rest!)

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  11. You are a racing machine this spring! Congrats on completing another half and yay for getting to spend time with Holly! That's a great race picture, BTW!

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    1. I don't like my leg position, lol, but I do look happy! I hadn't intended to run all these races, but it's just the way it happened. It's been fun, but I'm tired!

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  12. What a lovely getaway with Holly! The wineries sound so nice (and sitting in the sunshine!) I coach an athlete who raced that half last year and qualified for NYC with it- which was a huge PR for her! It can be a fast one, but downhill can also be really challenging! It's definitely not a guarantee to be "easy."

    Good luck at Ice Age! I hope you have a blast!

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    1. I definitely struggled with the heat. My recap will be up tomorrow!

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