Taper Time

I just uploaded my last big run to garmin connect for this marathon cycle. 22 miles for the day with 20 of them run progressively starting from sub MP +10% 8:20 all the way down to my tempo pace. My run was fantastic, and I feel that I have done all that I can do for this cycle. My goal for this 20 was to break 2:40, which I did by a full minute. My confidence is running pretty high. I averaged a 7:57 pace which is a good 25-30 seconds per mile slower that my race pace, but well within my training pace for my goal time. My feet are done. I opted not to run the last 10 miles of this run in my racing shoes (adios) and to save my calves a little stress and strain. I am very excited to finally be able to say that I made it through an entire training cycle with higher mileage without injuring myself. This was my main goal of taking on the marathon distance in the first place. Now the taper begins. This next week will not look much different than my previous training weeks other than the fact that I am cutting 10 miles from my training volume, adding more protein and less carbohydrates to my diet and packing myself full of vitamins. I am going to run a light 3 miler tomorrow to get my blood flowing and aid in recovery from today's run, take a full day off and then jump into my taper plan. The hay is finally in the barn... Wow.