We’re officially in the taper, folks! Which is a good thing, because I’ve caught a cold. I did a long run of 14.4km on Monday, which is the longest I’m going to manage before the Half-Marathon next weekend. I did the whole thing at 5:1 run/walk intervals, and I easily kept under the 7:45/km I need to average for the race. I’m not going to set any speed records, but I feel reasonably confident in my ability to finish the thing without getting pulled off the course. I had a massage Monday night and asked the masseuse to focus on my lower back and hips, which helped with some of the pain I was having. On Wednesday I went out for a nice easy run around the neighbourhood where I had very little issue with my foot, back or hips. That was good! But four hours later I was sniffling, which was bad. It always happens right before a race! I’m taking it easy for a few days, and I’ve skipped today’s planned run. So far everything is above-the-neck (mostly sinus-related), so I’m hoping I can keep it from moving into my lungs. Lots of liquids and sleep and decongestant for me!

Sept. 6: 14.4km
Sept. 8: 5.48km
Total this week: 19.88km (12.4mi)
Total in 2010: 674.2km (421.4mi)

I should be at 692km to meet my goal of running 1000km in 2010, so I’m still about 18km behind pace.