20 Days to go - Last Long Run

Image via Wikipedia, Carbonation via high fructose corn syrup.

Is this a normal thing for a four year old daughter to say?  "Mama, when I get older I'm going to do a fifty mile hour run, so when I get done I can take a really long bath."

Context is everything I suppose.  I was doing my normal torture training by sitting in an ice bath following today's long run and she was begging to get in.  I suppose having parents who run does have an impact on impressionable young minds...

So that's it.  There are no more long runs to go.  No more 60+ mile weeks (some of which I make, some I don't).  There are no more trying things out, or figuring out the gear, or experimenting with more hydration options (I've settled on a trail running-friendly IV unit, as soon as I find one).  There is only the countdown.  I got in a four hour run today.  Did it intentionally in the hottest part of the day to do some analysis of my sweat rate (measured in gallon buckets) and try out the final approach for food, hydration, and salt (twinkies, whiskey, and licking my arm, respectively.)  There was no puking so I will call it a success.

I was joined by the best pacer any one could ask for.  AKA teh wifey/coach/co-conspirator/inspiration/friend.  She was trying out our pacing system and kept me going up the hill (are hill repeats in the heat a bad idea?) for many miles and even came by later with the support crew in the urban assault vehicle.  My six year old son jumped out of the van and sprinted to me with arms open wide to give me a huge hug.    Does it get much better?  Oh yeah, the ice cold Sprite and the soundtrack of the Imperial march (my running looked more like a death march) to keep me going.  Score.

And so now we wait.  We try not to spend too much time obsessing about things, we resist the urge to go do multi-hour runs and we refer to ourselves in the royal third person.  We should do this more often.

Here's to us having a great time going through taper madness!  (Since we're royalty it will probably just be chalked up to in-breeding.)