Half a Marathon 21km and a bit more around Melbourne, I have not run 20km in fact I haven't even run past 16km, my training schedule and times has meant either I ride long once a week or run long and choose to ride the bike every time. Poor choice? I'm not sure yet. I have worked on Speed and Pace Setting, added some Hill Work to get my strength up and a lot of bike riding means I am confident I can finish. I have set a time of 1hr 50mins as my target, can I do it?
Prep in the lead up hasn't been great, I have read every article on tapering and they talk a lot of slowing pace down, or getting in a long run a week out, maybe adding in some sprint and stretching workout. All these were clearly written by someone without a child or a job or potentially both! Z-Girl is on a crazy week, a new tooth has been spotted along with an attempt by myself and super wife to get her to sleep more we've been letting her cry it out a little at night to change some bad sleeping habits that have come in since the brace was put on her legs.
The poor little thing just wants to hang out with Mum & Dad all the time, and seems to only sleep when laying on my chest as she snores with her booger filled nose. Her snoring is worse than my brothers, and especially loud when its 2 inches from your ear as she lays on you. It's cute, in fact it's like a small human water bottle. The downside, I can't roll over to turn off my alarm and if nature calls in the middle of the night (I drink a LOT of water) then I wake her as soon as I move.
Training has slowed down, I did some longer bike rides earlier in the week at a good but not heavy pace, I sneaked in a little darkrun after 9pm to get my pace right and feel confident; but then from Wednesday life got in the way and my last run Thursday was cancelled. The swimming pool midweek did help to loosen me out, but its my insane need to move that makes tapering difficult I want to go for 70km ride the day before race, not to help taper but to help not jumping up the walls. Breakfast with friends the day before the race helped me forget about any activity, but I did feel like I hadn't stayed fresh enough and from my running buddies it seems everyone has a different technique.
I'm lacking rest, I always lack rest. The Super Wife is also throwing her shoes on for this one and getting rest during the week just hasn't come easy. My parenting and functioning employee skills have been put to the test and in truth I've failed. I just am at a loss as to how to get my daughter to sleep after 2am I have tried all things and maybe that's the problem, I keep changing the plan and not sticking to a philosophy but it's been a "trying week" as parent types like to call it, I just call a "shit weeks sleep" I'm happy to admit publicly I'm a down hill skier when it comes to this Dad stuff, I'm good when it's good and useless when it's bad. I fumble and forget the process and with two parents doing two different things it hasn't helped.
Blaming the brace is an easy answer when it comes to Z-Girls sleep issues, but I wouldn't blame the rain on a race day for a poor result so I need to forget looking external and sharpen my focus to the points I can change. We don't like excuses in this family it's a long standing statement from my Grandfather all those years ago as kid, the super wife hasn't trained for 4 weeks in the lead-up to this event, but she isn't thinking of excuses only finishing.
The key to my taper is more likely the key my parenting, eliminate any excuses. Tick the boxes and be confident I know my way to run, take a deep breath and forget what "they do" and focus on what "we do" I haven't been nervous for a race before but having set this up as a marker for the IM70 pace for next year it has some baring on where I am in the scheme of my training. I've surrounded myself with good training partners and Tailwind Nutrition & Cheeta Recovery have set me up product wise for a positive day in my running shoes.
I guess only the asphalt knows the answer now.
#melbmara #running #runblog #triblog #dadathlon
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