I took the appearance of snow on my 8 mile run this morning as confirmation from the weather gods that the time to back off from training, and rest for the marathon has arrived.

In spite of having run 75 miles this week, my legs were peppy and in the final stretch I knew that my 55 year old body, is still capable of a much heavier training load.  But, as the end of phase 1 of my return to marathon racing after a more than 2 1/2 year sabbatical, this is a good place to be.  Ready for more.  The most I have run in one week is 104 miles.  And, within that total, the intensity of the runs was far greater.  but now is the time to err on the side of caution, i.e.  rest rather than daydream about the next training cycle.

What a lucky year it was to be training for an early December marathon. I did not have to suffer through any rain for any of my long runs or fast paced runs. The photo of my run on Friday morning was typical of my early morning runs. The turning point seems to have come today, just as my training load is reduced by almost half.

I have to focus on thinking about the race itself and checking the weather forecast for Sacramento daily.  My ideal temperature range for racing a marathon is 5-12C.  There has been a lot of rain lately but sunny days are in sight.

Sacramento Webcam

Our hotel is about 4 blocks from the finish line.  This is very useful as there is nothing more difficult than trying to meet someone after they have run a marathon.  Behavior, while in that state is quite unpredictable.  So if my husband and I don’t connect within 10 minutes, after I finish, I’ll head back to the hotel.

Many details of race day planning still to come but for now, I look forward to a quieter week.  To end the day we make  a toast to the Saskatchewan Roughriders who are enroute to the Grey Cup in Edmonton and the end of my training cycle.  Go Green, Go Riders!