When you run hills in the heat, your heartrate has no choice but to flirt up. Today was supposed to be an 8-mile taper day but the run sure didn’t feel like a taper run. The last 3 miles were straight uphill and my heart rate was constantly into the 150s. It even touched 160. That’s well into the level 3 zone. For tapering, I am supposed to manage my heartrate in the low level 2 zone. Maybe I should have just run on the treadmill or on a flat grade. Oh well…it’s done. The final 2 miles felt really hard!
I’m excited about New York City. In 5 days, we will be off for our journey. So far, everything has fallen into place quite nicely. Aside from a few niggles, bumps and bruises, I have stayed healthy. My training has gone quite well. I believe I peaked a few weeks too early but that’s life. As long as I finish somewhere around 3:45ish, I’ll be happy. The latest weather forecast calls for favorable temperatures. Even the wind is forecast to be a tailwind. With a week to go, things may change but so far so good!