Run Forrest Run!

It's been a while since I have done a marathon running update. Today was pretty significant so I figured it was time.

I have been doing a fairly good job of mixing three workouts every week:

• 1/2 mile intervals. Run a 3:30 or better half mile. Jog a quarter mile. Repeat 8 times. This is good for improving my speed.
• Long distance. I have ramped up from from my first run in April of 2 miles to today's run of 19 miles (and 3 more walking at the end). This is where you really start to feel the glycogen depletion. Not terribly pleasant.
  
• Hill climbs. I run from the base of Park City for 3 miles, up to the top of the Crescent ski lift. It's 1800 feet of vertical. That's roughly the run up the Empire State building, twice. It takes me about 43 minutes up, and 22 back down. Running down that steep, that fast, is harder than going up. Good for the thighs and the heart.
  

Now I get to start tapering down. My marathon is in 24 days. I'll still do a lot of running, but nothing quite as long or as hard. I wondered why the multi-week taper was so important. Turns out that a lot of getting stronger involves beating on the muscles and giving them lots of little tears. The taper is supposed to let everything heal, stretch and charge up for the race. I'm just happy to have an excuse to back off a bit.