T-minus 7 Days

I officially have one week until the LA Marathon! Wow. This morning I dragged myself out of bed to do my final long run of taper. The time change threw me off a bit, and I didn't get started until 10am, by which time it was very warm : / I mapped out my route last night and incorporated two of my favorite runs to make it an even 10 miles. First I ran down the gorgeously green, orchard lined Glen Annie Rd. I love how quiet this road is - I only saw one car and two cyclists the entire time! Then I headed back toward Isla Vista and added on a couple miles by running the loop around the West Campus lagoon and along the cliffs overlooking the ocean. It really was a gorgeous run.

Since I've been having a lot of small aches and pains, I really tried to focus on my form today. I constantly checked in with myself to see if my back was straight, my arms straight and loose, and if I was taking short, quick steps and landing midfoot. I actually think this helped a lot and I actually felt pretty great. Around mile 4.5 I even got a second wind and picked up my pace easily! Gotta love those second winds : ) I finished in 1:44 with an average pace of 10:27, which I was more than pleased with. This was also my inaugural run with my new iFitness fuel belt, and it was totally awesome! I can't wait to review it : )

After my run I took advantage of the wonderful sun and laid out for a while and tanned with friends. Well, turns out I was out there a little too long and I now resemble a lobster : / I also finally made it to the grocery store. I've been out of my essentials this past week and have been eating the strangest things. I'm so glad to have my oatmeal and bananas again! Speaking of, I might as well be a monkey with all the bananas I bought (12!).

This week happens to be finals week here at UCSB, so I'm hoping it makes resting my body (albeit not my mind) easier in preparation for LA on Sunday! Yikes!