Ok. I am back, renewed for another season as it were. We rejoin the action 11 days out from the main event...

The last few days before the race come down to this:

Brains 1 --A smart taper
"I don't think it's really rocket science. You just run easier and run less for two weeks." So says my marathoning friend. Sounds good to me. I ran an 18 miler last week, fighting off the urge to do another 20. G and I had a solid speed workout over the weekend, 4 x 1.5 miles at 10 mile race pace down at Riverside Park. We followed it up a day later with an 8 miler, me on foot and him on a slightly too large mountain bike. Basically, I am trying to maintain intensity while dropping volume. Also, more sleep, sleep is good.

Brains 2 -- A smart race
I have thought a lot about this. I am an even splits guy. Meaning, I run best running the second half at the same speed as the first. In fact, regarding longer races, my best ones always start off with a slow first mile and then a fun race where I literally can pass people the whole time. I think it is totally a psychological thing. I will probably start way WAY back in the chute just to be sure I don't jump out too fast.

Courage
This is a tricky one. G and I cheered runners at the NYC Marathon on Sunday. Seeing thousands of them go by at around the 20 mile mark could have been inspiring. That was the goal. Instead, it was a real reminder that this is a tough distance. are ee ess pee eee sea tea! I will be doing a few things to get my mind right over the next few days. More on that later.

Luck
Oh, I covered the good luck thing this weekend by touching a big set of these!

Weather
I think tomorrow pokes into the 10 day forecast window. A commodity analyst tells me weather snaps back to seasonal averages (read: gets colder) on the 18th. After seeing the impact of heat on the masses of NYC Marathon runners on Sunday, all I can say is bring on the cold.