Today marks the official start of my Boston taper, and I’m here for it. This season was extra challenging for me. Starting a new job had a lot to do with it. I went from working for myself and having full control over my schedule, to a more standard work day with a lot more meetings.
After years of being able to run at lunch time (or whenever I felt like), I struggled with all of the runs pushed into the margins of the day. I found myself often heading out 6 p.m. or later, running hungry and a little tired. Adding snacks didn’t seem to help much.
For February and March, I was pulling double duty, finishing up Yes and Yonder projects in the mornings and evenings. I had to dial my mileage back considerably. Anything more than 1 hour of running seemed impossible to squeeze it on a weekday. My schedule often looked like this:
Up at 6:15 a.m.
7-8:30 a.m. – YAY project work
9-6 p.m. – IDEO work day
6:30 p.m. – Run
7:30-9 p.m. – Dinner + dog walk
9-10:30 p.m. – YAY projects
I often showed up to the weekend so tired, my long runs were mediocre at best. I had to let go of expectations I held for myself. As the weeks passed, the PR race I hoped would be in the cards at Boston was looking more unlikely.
This past Friday I wrapped up all of the YAY projects I had contracted before starting the new job. I feel this expansiveness of free time opening up before me.
Training finally started coming together the last couple of weeks. I can see the progress, feeling stronger on my last two long runs. I’d love to have a few more weeks to build on this momentum. Since I don’t, I’m choosing to approach the race with a complete sense of openness.
If I feel great and want to go for a PR, lovely. My training doesn’t indicate this is likely, but I have experience on my side, and I believe in race day magic. If I want to feel steady, yet challenged, I might try to squeak out a BQ. Or, I might just feel like having fun and soaking up my first Boston experience with zero regard to finish time. I may not know what’s in the cards until I line up.