Twenty-five days until Boston! I say that with a combination of excitement and nervousness. I’m at that point in the 20-week training cycle where all the hard work of training has started to wear on my body and spirit, so the doubts creep in. “If I’m struggling this hard to maintain race pace for eight miles, how will I ever do it for 26.2 miles?” and “That 20-miler was tough — I can’t imagine adding 6.2 miles on to that!” But then I remind myself about about the concept of periodization (dividing training into phases that build toward peak performance on race day) and the magic of taper (those last two to three weeks of reduced training that result in fresh legs for the race), and I trust that I am doing what I need to do to have the best race possible.
To keep myself motivated in this last month before Boston, I’ve taken advantage of some travel to run new routes in interesting places. When my husband and oldest daughter wanted to watch the tennis matches at Indian Wells, I made sure to get in a 10 mile run in Palm Springs.
I could see a dusting of snow on top of the mountain as I headed out on my run from Ruth Hardy Park in Palm Springs.
I started my run at 11:00 a.m., which was very good practice for Boston. I’m in the third wave, which starts at 10:50 a.m. EDT. I prefer an early morning run or race, but I didn’t have any trouble on the 10 miles at that later time of day.
My next opportunity to “vacarun” (“traveljog”? “runtour”?) came when I transported 5th graders on a field trip to Rancho Soñado in Silverado, California. Parents didn’t need to stick around during the science lessons, so I drove to nearby Irvine Regional Park and headed out on the trails for eight miles.
First I picked the aptly named “Road Runner Loop.”
Irvine Regional Park is home to a grove of heritage Oak and Sycamore Trees.
What a treat to find views like this in the middle of a densely populated suburban city.
There is a zoo in the park, but I didn’t have to pay admission to see some wildlife! On the Horseshoe Loop Trail, I saw a bobcat!
Not the bobcat I saw, but it looked much like this. Photo credit: dbarronoss.
Apparently my survival instincts need a little honing, because my first thought was, “What is a cat doing on the trail?” Once realization dawned on me that this wasn’t an overgrown house cat (doh!), my second thought was, “I need to get a picture of it!” Thank goodness that bobcat wanted nothing to do with me and didn’t stick around for its photo opportunity. I finally had the good sense to Google “What should I do if I see a bobcat?” Answer: Back away slowly. Don’t run or it might chase you! Make lots of noise. Spray it with water if necessary.
I walked very slowly around the next bend in the trail and there it was again! This time I stood still and watched it go right back through the brush to its original position on the trail. Once it was out of sight, I slowly walked along the trail until I thought it was safe to start running again. Whew! Thank goodness the last few miles were uneventful and the only creatures I saw were horses and people.
What’s the “wildest” creature you’ve seen in the wild?
I’ve seen bears (from a safe distance) in the national parks.
Where’s your favorite place to run or hike?
I’ve got to stick with the national parks here — I’ve had some fun adventures in Zion and Joshua Tree National Parks.
, I saw that he said:
is a 
, I’ve put in five 20-mile runs, two 18-mile runs, one 17-mile run, three 15-mile runs, and three 13-mile runs. That’s on top of many, many shorter tempo and speed workouts and a lot of biking, swimming and skiing. So why can’t I trust that training and trust the magic of taper, and believe in my ability to have a great race day? Well, on one level I can, but then there’s this taper-crazy space in my head that whispers things like: “Maybe you’ve OVER trained. And heck, if you struggled to 
Fit Fun Mom 