The Art of Tapering vs The Art of Recovery

There is but as fine line between the Art of Tapering and the Art of Recovery. For some, tapering is decreasing exercise before the event, for others, it is decreasing wine intake.
It seems to be somewhat like Lent. Before Easter, one gives up something, after Lent, one can reestablish what was given up, Lent is longer than Tapering.
Tapering involves a week or two of habit modification. Lent 40 days.
A 13.1 mile race involves about 2 weeks of habit modification.
First week, only walking 6 miles instead of 12.
Second week, giving up more cross training and perhaps modifying ones wine intake or the practice of carbo loading.
Recovering from a race is somewhat like after Lent, not that I know a lot about giving up for Lent, my friends do. Habits return. For me, it will be wine tonight, Pilate's tomorrow morning, weight raining on Monday.
It's like summer break from school for me. No races until the end of July, camping next week and vacation in my future.
Zumba and Kickboxing are back.
Recovery today has been, sitting in the Maita Toyota dealership for 2 hours, having maintenance done. A light on the dashboard had been telling me I need maintenance. It has been annoying me for 2 weeks.  I have enough energy to sit in the car and in the dealership and read a book. I really want  to look at a new Pruis I've seen on commercials that is only  10' away, but it seems like entirely too much work. Maintenance work is doneon my car. I am free for a month
How come I am going 57 miles down American River Drive? Because the dealership set KMH not MHP. I promise officer, I am not speeding!

Tonight, a great dinner.

A movie or book and looking forward to the Little Red Bike

and the Dutchman Trailer in my future.

Tommorrow resetting the speedometer

Spring racing season is over.

Hip Hip Horray

Race Day 2012

Momma new walking shoes.

Race Day. Up at 4:45 for a race that begins at 7:15 that is just 4.5 miles from home. So even though everything is set out shoes, shorts, food is still allow 1 hr to get to the race line. I volunteered for package pick up this morning and don't want to be late. Leave home 1 hr later after second guessing and reworking all that had been done the night before so I didn't/shouldn't have to do so.
Package pickup. I forgot close up glasses so can't see names on the bibs. I am relegated to shirts, which I can figure out since the sizes are written in giant letters on the sides of the boxes. If I mess up, it's because the wrong shirt in in a box. 
Breakfast time.
So I guess boiled, organic eggs smell because someone asks, "Is that the garbage I am smelling?"
 "No, it's just my eggs, I guess they didn't cook quite all the way." I respond. Note to self, scramble eggs next time.

7 am. Close enough to race time to change shoes. Off with the Uggs, on the the Merrell's. Socks are just a bit wet. Spray the 50+ sunscreen, remove the jacket, on with the gloves, I can still see my breath in the morning air.
On to the start line. National Anthem is sung, hats back on, stretching done, find start point and I am off. First mile pace about 15 min, mile 2, I am next to someone who has a watch that loudly announces Mile 2,  race time 28.34, 14:27 mph, helpful to me who does not wear a watch. Good warm up pace but need to pick it up a bit.
Mile 6, finally catch Debbie, my new friend who does not know how fast she is walking because she usually runs. She and I both want to catch the group in front.Ok, so the groups has one is in a walking kilt, one who sways back and forth way too much, and one who is wearing pink socks.
I move past Debbie. It takes until mile 9 to pass the one who sways back and forth too much and the kilt lady. Kilt lady says the both of her other 2 pacers are 29 years old. So I don't have to worry about them. Did I mention I want a third place finish?
Pink socks picks up her pace and I never catch her.
My finish time by the clock, 2 hrs 59:03. I am thrilled. My fastest finish time for 13.1.  1 entire minute faster that in March.   I am hopeful for the 3rd place finish. I did that in my first year, I was 4th in the 2nd year.

It took a while for the walkers time to be posted  I check  at the medal winners table asking about times. I say my name. They are looking at times. My name is not there. "Is that the walkers chart?" I say. "Yes," they say.  "And what was your time" they ask. I say, "About 2:59:" Why is my name not there? I ask my self. I look at my shoes. I have my timing chip on. What is the problem? I look at my sister timing chip. It does not look like mine. Why does mine have writing on it and hers does not?

Because you dumb shit, you put the wrong side of the chip on your shoe last night!!!!

My time does not exist.

My personal best does not exist.

My race does not exist.

So, the third place finisher finished 30 seconds ahead of me so I would not have qualified for a medal anyway. 

 Whew!

The Art Of Tapering Part 3

Thursday April 26
Ended the tapering day by watching Bottle Shock on my new Kindle Fire.

Friday April 27
Day before the race. Weather is cooperating nicely to not want to be outside . Too windy to walk. I went to The Crocker Art Gallery at lunchtime to see the modern version of the Terracotta Warriors.
Package pick up this evening, a little carbo and protein loading this evening. A glass of wine. I am  good to go.

Momma has new running shoes, a matching top, number is on, tag on shoes, hat out, shorts, out, sunglasses, check, food check, Uggs to keep feet warm and socks dry, check, turquoise and brown earrings, look like the river meeting the shore. Coffee ready for morning, check, alarm on check.

Nutrition for the race will be electrolyte drink, trail mix, a banana and my favorite Cutie oranges.

A banana and 2 hard boiled eggs in the morning.

Happy Race Day to Me

.

The Art of Tapering Part 2

Wednesday April 25,
Another relaxing day. I took a short stretch class during my lunchtime. Pers has a fabulous gym for it's employees and I schedule my lunch around classes. I had my pre-race massage with Katie. I love Katie. We say hi, then she says what is wrong with you? You look really stiff, you hips aren't moving, what hurts? I go through my litany of ailments, sore neck, Achilles tendon tight, hip hurts....
She grinds, kneads, pops, crunches, elbows,digs into muscle groups, my legs, feet, hips, thighs and lower back, my neck and shoulders.  I don't know how she finds what is ailing me but she does. This is the quick and dirty pre race massage. Not deep, just loosening the muscles. And it still hurts.
I feel so much better, afterwards.
Thursday April 26
Remembering to hydrate is the toughest part when it is cool and cloudy outside. It will be close to 80 by Saturday. We've had such cool training weather this spring, this is going to feel hot. Just a dog walk for exercise today a glass of wine and a movie tonight. I love this tapering.

Spring Training

Our daughter and son-in-law have lived in San Antonio Texas for almost 3 years. We live in Sacramento. We try to get together 3 or 4 times a year and the goal is to find somewhere to visit that is 1 plane flight away for each of us.

James Emily, Todd under the straw hat, me with my eyes on the ball and my dad at the end.

This spring's destination was Spring Training in Scottsdale,AZ. James is an avid Giants fan, I am a fan of the old Giants and we are all fans of seeing each other.
The best park of the trip, my dad was able to join us.
The last weekend of March is not the best nor most economical time to visit Arizona. It is the end of spring training, Harley week and the middle of spring vacation. It can be hot, 94 degrees hot the weekend we were there. 94 was about 30 degrees warmer than we had experienced for 6 months.
Giants stadium is a little gem in downtown Scottsdale. If you stay near the stadium, you can hail a Pedicab. The point of the game, a least for the fans around us, was to drink as much beer as possible. If we had been to a game or two more, we too may have been best friends with the guy the next row over who was buying for everyone around him.
We lasted abut 6 innings before the heat drove us back to the hotel. By then, the Giants had 1 hit, were down by at least 6 runs, we were out of water.
James rented a hot red Challenger. For us the challenge how 5 of us were going to fit in and get into the car. I crawled into the back, squished into the seat behind James the driver, put on my seat belt before  6'2" Todd poured into the middle seat, adjusted his seat belt before Emily plopped in. Emily had to adjust the front seat just so, so grandpa could slink down low enough to get his head and body in the car at the same time. Needless to say, we did not get in and out too much.

Three generations toasting birthdays, health, love, life and family with our Dom Perignon champagne



Scoring a dinner reservation in Scottsdale on Saturday night seemed as remote as the Giants getting a run. Since the hotel had grills and there was a great gourmet grocer half a block away, we barbecued steaks and asparagus, had a big green salad and See's Easter candy for dessert. A great meal, under the stars, protecting our streaks from the great horned owls on the property, discussing whether we were seeing lightening bugs on a warm Scottsdale night with family. How much better does it get?

Parkway 1/2 Marathon, The Art of Tapering Part 1

Parkway 1/2 Marathon on Sat, April 28. The week before, a week of being told not to work out is heaven.
Tapering for the race began on Sat morning with a 6 mile walk.  Sat afternoon was spent sitting in the car for a drive with friends up to the Fairplay wine applation outside of Plymouth, CA. Our drive was occasionally interrupted by having to get out of the car at wineries  to taste wine,  cleanse the palate with cheese, crackers and the new item next to the throw your wine away carfe, animal crackers.
Sat evening dinner with old and long time friends at our annual Picnic day dinner in Davis, CA.
Sunday, a visit to the farmers market was followed by a Pilate's class and watching Salmon Fishing in Yemen at the Tower Theatre. Sun afternoon I figured out how to work my new Kindle Fire. Double feature for me today. I watched Fat Sick and Ready to Die. I know it sounds dreadful, but it was recommended by my gorgeous Australian kickboxing instructor and worth the watch.
Monday back to work and a lunchtime weight training class. I skipped most of the squats, dips and lunges and concentrated on upper body weight training lifting.
Tuesday, truly a taper day. Zip, zero, nada, not even  dog walk today. I visted Whole Foods and did my best imitation of Costco shoppers by tasting the cheese, chocolate and salmon salad samples. Those events were followed by a short nap, vicariously carboloading by sleeping with Cupcake Wars on the Food Channel in the background.
Ah, tapering at it's best.
To be continued.....

HAPPY EARTH DAY

Happy Earth Day to my friends.

Off to work.

The picture is of me, Bev, The Impromputu Cyclist,

 with little red bike front of our Prius.

I'm wearing my  favorite bicycle pattern skirt

and my new red Tom's shoes.