Now I can blog again.

Now that I have fully recovered my composure after Monday's display of idiocy in Boston (and now that I know they caught the idiots), I can blog again.

My taper officially started on Monday, where I did some cross-training with Cathe's Athletic Training DVD, which promptly kicked my ass.  I love that this video has cardio and light weights--I was aiming for light weights rather than heavy ones during the taper--but man, the moves she chooses are super effective.  My pecs, I fear, will never be the same.

Tuesday was some speed work, the last speed work session I will do before my marathon.  I had to do 5 x 1000m, and I was stoked that I got to do these outside.  I am also stoked that the sun comes up now during my run so I don't have to wear all my blinking lights all the time.  I still wear my reflective vest just in case.

But mainly I was just happy to be running after what happened on Monday.  It may have just been my imagination, but the cars on the roads seemed to slow down a little bit more and give me a little more room to run when they passed me that morning.

Wednesday was an awesome slow 5 mile run, again done outside and watching the sun rise in one direction...

..and the start of the torrential rains in the other direction:

I got back from the run just as the rain started, and it never stopped...it went on until Thursday evening, flooding the crap out of my and everyone else's basements along with a lot of roads the closer you got towards Chicago.  This effectively cancelled my tempo run on Thursday because it was just too windy; I tried to do it on the treadmill Friday morning but my legs were tired and my mind just wasn't into it.

I am tired.  My body is tired.  I am welcoming this taper.

When I saw "10 miles" on my schedule for today's run, I was giddy.  "Only 10 miles!" I thought.  "That's only 5 miles out and 5 miles back!"  Yes, I am really glad I am into the taper.

But I am also a little frightened about the marathon, which is a little over a week away as I write this.  I am afraid I won't be able to pull out another 10K after 20 miles.  I am afraid I will run out of food.  I am afraid I will look like a huge dork if I wear my Camelbak during the race.  I am afraid I might break down in tears after I cross the finish line, amazed at what I will have done.

But I am not afraid some idiot will bomb it.  I refuse to be terrorized.