Peter's Team Diabetes Triathlon (and formerly Marathon) Blog

I am often teased about the connections I have made with people through this blog and/or the running discussion boards - Running Mania and the Running Room - that I participate in. Some of these on-line connections have ultimately resulted in meeting folks in person such as Derek (Kelowna), Angela (Edmonton), Peter (Toronto) and Dani (Oromocto). Others of these connections are unlikely to ever result in a face-to-face meeting but they are none the less what I would consider "friendships".

Through blogging I ended up in contact with a person who, like me, was running the Boston marathon. Colleen was participating as a member of the Leukemia and Lymphoma society's Team in Training program. When I mentioned to her that my dad had passed away from complications during treatment for leukemia she offered to honour his memory by placing his name on the jersey she would be wearing on race day. I suggested that she simply use his initials "JLM" but never gave it another thought.

Earlier today I checked in on her blog to read her race report. Embedded in the report were some pics, including one of her race jersey and there they were - the initials JLM.

Remember, Colleen and I have never met in person and probably never will. Yet, she still chose to honour my dad in this way. In the note that I left on her blog I said, While we may be "virtually strangers" we are certainly "virtual friends".

Hilarious - watch this short video that captures what it is like for many people the day AFTER a marathon.

Last night I joined the crowd at our local Running Room store for the Wednesday night group run. It was great for a change to get out for a run that wasn't part of a specific training schedule. The group I went with was a 10k clinic group - 15 women, their male instructor and me - who were doing a 4k tempo session. the weather was beautiful, the company was interesting and so it was a lot of fun.

Yesterday I received an email from friend Mike Collins with these four photos attached. They show my Dad running in what I believe was a fun run associated with the Outouais (Ottawa) Marathon, together with my brother Bill (in red), Mike (light blue shorts) and Mike's three siblings. I don't recall ever seeing these pics before and with my Dad having passed away in 1983 at the age of 48, you can imagine the emotions that I felt when I opened them.

The 3rd Annual Transplant Trot 5k took place was a fun run that raises $$$ and awareness for organ donation. Although it has been less than a week since my Boston Marathon experience it was important to me to participate to show support for my friends Kendra and Johnson John in Ottawa. Check out their website at www.helpteamdiabetes.com. They are, respectively, donor and recipient of a kidney transplant.

The run was small (roughly 20 participants) but loads of fun. We met some great folks and had a chance to do a little recruiting for the Juvenile Diabetes Research Foundation (JDRF) 5k fun run that we are helping to organize for June 3rd. It is part of the Walk To Cure Diabetes event that is held annually here in Fredericton.

Jill ran a great 5k completing in just over 32 minutes. Also great was having our friend Helen MacKinnon with us. She is doing the Running Room learn To Run program and this was her first 5k race. Way to go Helen. From the picture you can she that she finished in fine style!!

Set into the sidewalk in Copley Plaza, very close to the finish line location, this tablet lists the names of marathon winners throughout the years

WARNING - Very long race report follows so get comfortable ...


As most of you probably know by now, I was given the opportunity to participate in the 2007 Boston Marathon, not as a qualifier by virtue of a previous marathon time, but rather as a guest of Manulife/John Hancock Insurance, the title sponsor for the event. I have entitled this race report, “Promise Made, Promise Kept” because John Hancock’s marketing image is currently based on the theme of promises. So, for example, before the race we were invited to share our own personal promise about why we were running and we were given a blue wristband with the slogan, “It’s all about the promises”. In my case, my promise related to being diabetic and modeling the importance of an active healthy lifestyle.

My drive to Boston from Fredericton started in the middle of a storm which dumped approximately 20cm of snow on our region. This was definitely a sign of things to come. For several days I had been anxiously watching the forecasts and they were all bad. So bad that the race organizers took special steps to send out weather advisories to participants suggesting that we be prepared for cold, wind, rain and snow. In other words, conditions exactly the same as I’ve faced during most of my training runs in January, February and March.

As I got through northern Maine the snow turned to rain and as I got closer to Boston the rain subsided and the weather became quite reasonable. This was definitely the calm before the storm though as every radio and TV station seemed to be focused on the Nor’easter that was making its way into the region having cut a path of destruction across other parts of the US. The mayor of New York City had begun emergency measures preparations, low-lying areas were preparing for flooding and so on. It was clear however that barring a major disaster such as a massive power failure or some such thing, the race would NOT be cancelled.

I had arranged accommodations at a hotel on the outskirts of Boston for the first two nights of my stay. I was in the town of Woburn which is just off the I-95 highway that runs from New Brunswick through Maine and on to Boston. Woburn is right on the commuter rail line into Boston’s North Station, the central hub for the subway system (known in Boston as the “T”) so it was convenient and a lot less expensive that staying in the heart of the city.

Saturday morning I was up early and made my way by commuter rail/subway to the Hynes Convention Centre where the race registration and runner’s expo takes place. Registration was already very busy but extremely well organized, the volunteers were super friendly and within a matter of 3 or 4 minutes I had everything done. From there it was into the expo to browse the hundreds of booths – running shoes, apparel, nutrition, souvenirs, other races, etc. I knew exactly what I wanted to buy at the expo – the “official” Boston Marathon jacket, an adidas running jacket with the Boston logos on it and a long-sleeve technical tee from Saucony (the brand of shoe that I wear) that had the slogan “2B0ST0N7” (translation “Boston 2007”) emblazoned on it. I found what I wanted, looked about at all the other cool stuff and then headed back out to Woburn. I did a short 20-minute run when I got back, went for an early dinner and then relaxed, knowing that it would not be easy to sleep the next night.

Sunday morning I moved from Woburn into the city where I would be staying at the Fairmont Copley Plaza hotel, the official race headquarters, for the next two days. The hotel was located right at the finish line for the marathon and was absolutely beautiful. After I got checked in I headed off to the Team Canada Boston Tea Party brunch that was held at the Hard Rock Café, about a block from the hotel. It was a fun event and I had the chance to see the trophy that Tom Longboat, an aboriginal Canadian who won the Boston Marathon in 1907, was presented. I was also interviewed at the brunch by some graduate students from Emerson College in Boston who had contacted me before hand and asked if they could do a story about me for one of their classes and to broadcast on their College’s internal TV network.

After the breakfast I headed back to the hotel and started to prepare myself, my clothes and all the gear that I would need for the next day’s race. The weather was already miserable and there were endless variations on the forecast so it was really hard to decide what I would actually wear to get out to the start, what to wear whilst waiting for the start and what to wear during the run. I suspect that there were 22,000 other runners all fretting about the same thing at that same moment and throughout the rest of the day, evening and into the next morning.

Early on Sunday afternoon my brother Bill and our long-time friend Mike Collins arrived from Ottawa. They had driven 8 hours through miserable weather just to be able to see me for a few seconds on race day! I am so grateful for the fact that they did so. They even came bearing a gift – a Garmin runners’ GPS watch. It was something that my family in Ottawa had all chipped in to buy for me and I can’t wait to try it out this weekend.

The night before a marathon is traditionally when runners “carbo load” – a dinner of pasta that will provide energy for the activity of the next day. As part of the Manulife/John Hancock team I was invited to a private carbo-load dinner held in the hotel and it was great. I met the other members of the “team” together with some of the Manulife employees who were running and some of the senior management of the firm. We had a motivational speaker, Denise, who is a Manulife rehab case manager in Halifax who took up running only a couple of years ago, ran a 3:15 marathon in her first ever race of any distance (and in so doing winning the PEI Marathon) and I believe she is now a 2:45 marathoner. She is also a 30-something single mom of 3 young girls. AMAZING. Sadly, she sustained an injury with a week to go ‘till marathon day and had made the tough decision to withdraw. Of course, that did stop her from being out front of the hotel at 6 a.m. on race morning in the cold, wind and rain to wish us well as we loaded onto the buses to get to the start. I say again, AMAZING !! After dinner it was back to the room to catch the last period of the Sens-Pens game (good karma that the Sens won) and then to bed to TRY and catch a few zzz’s. By and large that was fruitless though as I was far too nervous to get any meaningful rest.

At 5:30 a.m. the hotel room alarm clock went off, the front desk phoned with my wake up call and all the watches with alarms on them that we had set the night before signaled that it was time to get going. I got dressed, ate a bit of breakfast and headed off to the rendez-vous point. After a quick briefing we were loaded onto buses and shuttled out to the start area, the small town of Hopkinton. Once there we were escorted to the middle school where we had a special indoor waiting area. This was invaluable given the conditions. I felt sorry for all the people who were forced to wait outside for two to three hours prior to the start of the race. That said, on a day such as it was, I sure wasn’t about to voluntarily relinquish my “VIP” spot simply for the notion of egalitarianism.

While in the school I met a number of really interesting people. One was a fellow who would be running the entire marathon in a tuxedo and top hat. He had been doing this for several years and I wished him luck holding onto the hat in the windy conditions. I also met a couple who were going to be getting married during the marathon – appropriately (?) enough at the top of Heartbreak Hill where a tent was set up and family/friends were waiting. She was dressed in all-white running attire, complete with a veil and he was all in black with a shirt painted to look like a tuxedo. Accompanying them was a runner who would be videotaping things and he turned out to be a 2-time Olympian for the USA in the race walk event.

Just before 10 a.m those of us in the second wave start (people with start numbers above 11,000) were shepherded out of the gym and down the narrow streets of Hopkinton to the starting corrals. It was a sight to behold – thousands of runners packed together in all manner of clothing designed, mostly in vain, to keep them dry and warm as long as possible. People were wearing shower caps on their heads, garbage bags over their torsos, plastic shopping bags over their shoes, etc. We must’ve been quite a sight! While we were still shuffling towards our start corral the gun went off but it was almost 10 more minutes before I crossed the start mat and was on my way.

Prior to the start I had made arrangements with 4 other folks from Team Manulife to run together, since we were all aiming for a 4:30 finish. Unfortunately, as we were moving toward the start, two of the group got separated from us and so we were down to three – me, Noel and Beth. Not to worry though we figured there would be lots of time to eventually meet up with them and indeed we did not long after the start.

The Boston course is well known for having a fairly significant descent right at the start and it proved to be exactly as advertised, perhaps even a bit steeper than I expected. Of course at that point nobody has a care in the world so it’s just a matter of finding a little open space and enjoying the ride. Before I knew it the 1 mile marker appeared and I checked my watch and pace band to see whether we were on target. I was expecting to find that we were slightly ahead of pace but not so. We were exactly on 4:30 marathon pace.

The next few miles wound their way through the countryside of Hopkinton and Ashland. Despite the weather there were lots of people out alongside the road cheering us on. I had worn my name on my jersey so they would call out, “Go Peeta”, “Go Keynada” or “Go Team Diabeedeze” (that’s my best effort at translating the Bostonian accent into written form!). There were also tons of signs, some professionally made, some hand painted on old pieces of plywood offering support to runners in general or to specific runners. I remember seeing a lot of signs for a teacher, Ms. Johnson, from her Grade 2 class. Pretty neat. There was also a lot of cheering for people from “Dana-Farber”, a local Boston children’s charity.

As the race continued I settled into a nice rhythm with my partners and we chatted about all manner of things. Beth joked that her kids said she ran like a grandmother. At first she was upset but she got over it – since she IS a grandmother !! Not long after this conversation we were running by the front of a store that had floor to ceiling front windows and a sign suggesting that we runners check out our “form” in the reflection as we passed by. Beth got me howling with laughter when she looked in the window and explained, “Oh my God, I DO run like a grandmother”.

I’m sure that I will remember other sections of the course more clearly in the days ahead but one of my fondest memories is of approaching the outskirts of Wellesley. Somewhere around mile 12 we could start to hear a lot of cheering ahead and the closer we got the louder it became. We were about to enter the famous Wellesley College (an elite women’s only College) Scream Tunnel area. It was overwhelming. There were hundreds, perhaps thousands of young female students lining the barricades all yelling as loud as they could – a tradition that goes back years and years. The noise was deafening, they were holding signs asking the runners to stop and give them a kiss and many were wearing T-shirts that said Wellesley Girls Kiss But Don’t Tell (or words to that effect). Not wanting to be rude, I obliged many a young co-ed with a peck on the cheek !!!

After leaving the Wellesley Scream Tunnel the course passed through Wellesley’s town center. Just as I had hoped, my brother Bill and our buddy Mike were there so I called out to them, they took some pictures, I gave them both a hug and off I went. They probably couldn’t see the tears streaming down my face. It was absolutely fantastic to see them and it gave me a real boost. As I chugged off they called out that they would see me at the finish line.

After Wellesley we passed the campus of Boston College and once again the road was lined with screaming BC students. They were a lot rowdier than the Wellesley girls but every bit as encouraging to the runners.

At some point near here I recall that I was running near a group of 2 or 3 20-something ladies. We went by one of the professional photographers’ locations and I heard them chatting that when they get to the next photo location they ought to do something different for the pic. I looked over and they were starting to remove the long-sleeve shirts that they had on over top of their running jerseys. I said to them, “I hope you’re not getting ready for a Girls Gone Wild moment because if you are, my wife won’t be impressed if I’m caught in the photo.” They laughed and assured me that there was nothing else coming off besides the outer layer.

Next up was the most infamous section of the course, the Newton Hills. This section starts at about mile 16, runs to mile 22 and includes 4 separate hills. None of the hills are very steep but coming where they do on the course they are quite a challenge. The last of the 4 hills is the famous (infamous?) Heartbreak Hill. Contrary to popular belief, it is not so-named because of its size. Rather, it is because of a heartbreak that occurred there one year during the race when the leader was passed at that spot by the eventual winner.

By this time in the race I had become separated from my four running partners. One had started to experience stomach problems and was having to make frequent pit stops at the porta-potties. Another had fallen back unable to maintain the 4:40 marathon pace and two seemed to have gone on ahead. I was struggling a bit with pace as well and at the foot of Heartbreak Hill I realized that my goal of 4:40 was not likely going to happen as I was 2 or 3 minutes behind, I could feel my stride shortening and I knew that there were some tough miles to come. I resolved though that I would at least run every step up the hills and not slow into a walk. I figured it would be a bit of a moral victory if nothing else.

As I was going up Heartbreak I passed two guys who were running dressed as Elvis – white jump suits, big hair, sunglasses, etc. One even had a fanny pack containing a small stereo playing nothing but Elvis tunes. As I went by it was “Hound Dog” playing on the boombox. The spectators of course loved these guys and they got huge cheers.

After Heartbreak Hill the course has a net decline in elevation but that is a bit deceiving because there are actually two or three inclines to contend with and each of them seems formidable at that stage. During this section of the race I ended up meeting one of the 2 chaps from my group who had gone out ahead. He was reduced to a walk because of a knee (ITB) injury sustained miles earlier. He wasn’t about to drop out though so I wished him well and said that I’d see him at the finish.

As the course was now into the City of Boston proper, the number of spectators was starting to swell. As we passed through the Boston University campus the students were out en force. I remember seeing some on the side of the road who had a big gong and were encouraging runners to come over and give it a bang. I obliged. Just after that there were a bunch of students formed up in two rows of 10 or 15, getting runners to come down the middle and give them high/low 5’s. I obliged.

By then I was taking more frequent walk breaks. Every time I slowed to a walk people would cheer loudly saying things like, “You’re almost there”, “You can do this” and so on. Then, when I would start back into my slow trot they would cheer even louder. It was amazing to think that they had been doing this for more than 4 hours for 22,000 participants.

At this point it started to truly sink in that I was going to finish the Boston Marathon. Around Mile 25 I remember seeing a huge billboard on the side of a building with an ad from adidas that said, “Reason to Run: Real Superheroes Wear Shiny Capes” with a picture of a runner wrapped in the space blanket that they put around you at the finish of a marathon. At that moment the tears started to well up (for what was probably the 50th time that day) as I soaked in the reality of what was happening.

The last mile or so was fantastic. The crowds were huge and they were LOUD. The last section is a short side street and then you make a 90-degree left turn onto Boylston Street. The finish banner is fully visible about 300m ahead, the road is at least 4, perhaps 6 lanes wide and the barricades are holding back huge numbers of spectators. I decided not to focus on running fast to the finish line but rather to take my time and enjoy the feelings that were washing over me. I could literally feel the energy that the crowd was giving off. Just before the finish line I looked up to the right and there in the VIP bleachers were Bill and Mike. I gave them a big wave and then continued on to the finish line pumping my fist in the air over the last few yards.

4:51:27.

Promise made. Promise kept.

PS. Some of you may be wondering what happened to my four running mates. The chap who went out ahead (Jacques) and whom I never saw on course turned out to have had stomach issues and had to make frequent stops along the way. He finished but not sure of his time. Ivan’s knee didn’t stop him from finishing in under 5 hours. Noel, who had stomach issues at the halfway point, finished in a shade over 5 hours and Beth in roughly 5:10. Congratulations one and all.

Greetings faithful readers. Only time for a quick post to say that I had a tremendous Boston Marathon experience. Completed the course in 4:51:27 which was slower that I had hoped for but which was still enormously satisfying. I will post a full race report when I have a few minutes to gather my thoughts.

I expect this will be my last post before I head off to Boston. For those of you who want to follow my progress on race day (Monday, April 16th), note that my start is scheduled for 10:30 a.m. Boston time (11:30 Atlantic time, 10:30 Ontario time).

On race day you will be able to track my progress at the official marathon website by entering my bib # 23119.

I'd like to once again publicly thank Manulife (Kevin Higgins) and John Hancock Insurance for extending an invitation to me to participate in what is without doubt the world's most prestigious marathon. I thank everyone for their support and I'm looking forward to telling you all about it, in pictures and words, when I get home.

Now, LET THE GAMES BEGIN !!

Yesterday I popped into a used clothing store to try and find a cheapo sweatshirt and jacket that I could wear while waiting in the start corral and then toss away once the race began. Having found what I needed, I went to the cashier and inquired how much the jacket was. "Four dollars" she said. I said "Great, because I only need to wear it once". She asked why and I said that I was going to be using it to keep warm before a race I was doing. "Where?" she asked. I told her it was in the States, not wanting to really get into details. "Oh, whereabouts?", she said. I told her that it was in Boston. She looked up at me and said. "The Boston ...?". I smiled and said "Yes, the Boston marathon". She was clearly impressed.

I mention this because I suspect the lady could not have named another marathon, nor would she know how many miles a marathon covers yet she still knows about the Boston marathon. Cool.

I did my last "tempo" run yesterday at noon - 40 minutes total with the middle 20 at threshold pace. I felt really strong and was able to exceed the pace target that Coach Mike had set.

Starting to get a little freaked by the weather forecasts for Monday. The marathon website had the following announcement:

Weather Alert - Monday's Boston Marathon

Wednesday, April 11 - As the Boston Athletic Association continues to make preparations for Monday's Boston Marathon, we are monitoring the upcoming weather conditions forecast for this area. Based on the National Weather Service's most recent report and in cooperation with the Executive Office of Public Safety (Commonwealth of Massachusetts) and the Massachusetts Emergency Management Agency, together with the eight cities and towns along the 26.2-mile marathon route, we are planning for likely heavy rain and windy conditions on race day. However, all race day plans remain the same. The Boston Athletic Association advises participants in Monday's race to plan accordingly for their run, bringing with them gear and apparel to suit the conditions. The B.A.A. will continue to update this web site as necessary.

Oh well, I suppose that being a hearty Canuck and having done my training through the dead of winter, I can put up with a minor hurricane on race day ...

As we were driving home to Fredericton from Ottawa yesterday I heard news that 6 Canadian soldiers had died in Afghanistan on Easter Sunday. They were all members of the battle group deployed from CFB Gagetown which is located just a few miles outside Fredericton. While I didn't know any of the soldiers personally, I know many in their regiment (The Royal Canadian Regiment) and many at Base Gagetown. My heart aches for the families, friends and comrades.

Just back from spending the Easter weekend with family in Ottawa. Here's a group shot of us all together.

Got my two scheduled runs in on the weekend. Saturday was 60 minutes - 10 at easy pace followed by 40 at marathon pace and ending with 10 at easy pace. Sunday was a 30 minute easy pace effort. Both days it was cold and windy with the odd snow flurry. Not very spring-like that's for sure.

This is a famous statue of legendary Boston Marathoner John A. Kelley. It sits along the marathon route at Heartbreak Hill. For a bit of background on this amazing individual visit the Irish Heritage Trail website.

Thanks to Peter Howell from Toronto for sending me the photo that he took while on a recent business (?) trip to Boston. How convenient that he needed to be there and had a chance to recce the course just before he runs the marathon !!

Here's another good one:

Miracles happen for those that believe

Just a reminder to myself of what success looks like. This is me finishing my first marathon - the adidas Dublin (Ireland) marathon in October 2002.

I received the following in an email from my Aunt Jeanne. I've seen it several times before but with the anniversary of Canada's WW1 accomplishments at Vimy Ridge so close at hand, I thought that it was very appropriate that I post it here on my blog.

THE FINAL INSPECTION

The soldier stood and faced God,
Which must always come to pass.
He hoped his shoes were shining,
Just as brightly as his brass.
"Step forward now, you soldier,
How shall I deal with you ?
Have you always turned the other cheek ?
To My Church have you been true?"
The soldier squared his shoulders and said,
"No, Lord, I guess I ain't.
Because those of us who carry guns,
Can't always be a saint.
I've had to work most Sundays,
And at times my talk was tough.
And sometimes I've been violent,
Because the world is awfully rough.
But, I never took a penny,
That wasn't mine to keep...
Though I worked a lot of overtime,
When the bills got just too steep.
And I never passed a cry for help,
Though at times I shook with fear.
And sometimes, God, forgive me,
I've wept unmanly tears.
I know I don't deserve a place,
Among the people here.
They never wanted me around,
Except to calm their fears.
If you've a place for me here, Lord,
It needn't be so grand.
I never expected or had too much,
But if you don't, I'll understand.
There was a silence all around the throne,
Where the saints had often trod.
As the soldier waited quietly,
For the judgment of his God.
"Step forward now, you soldier,
You've borne your burdens well.
Walk peacefully on Heaven's streets,
You've done your time in Hell."
~Author Unknown~

It's the Military, not the reporter who has given us the freedom of the press. It's the Military, not the poet, who has given us the freedom of speech. It's the Military, not the politicians that ensures our right to Life, Liberty and the Pursuit of Happiness (or as we say in Canada: Peace, Order and Good Government). It's the Military who salutes the flag, who serves beneath the flag, and whose coffin is draped by the flag.
If you care to offer the smallest token of recognition and appreciation for the Military, please pass this on and pray for our men and women who have served and are currently serving our country and pray for those who have given the ultimate sacrifice for freedom.

With race day so close at hand there has started to be a minor flurry of emails passing between the folks who make up "Team Manulife". Through sharing of our goal times we are starting to form into informal pace groups. I know that when I ran NYC it really helped to be part of a pace team because it helped control the urge to go too fast at the start and to fade at the end. This is particularly important on a course like Boston where the hills appear in miles 17 to 21.

Did a short 30-minute easy pace run after work today and in a few minutes I'm off to the UNB Varsity Reds Athletics Award Banquet. Lots to celebrate this year, including our National Championship in Men's Hockey

As I wrote in an earlier post, my physical preparations are essentially complete so the next 12 days are all about getting my mind ready for the challenges that I will face. To do that I am going to note here on my blog some of the "mantras" that I have collected (shamelessly stolen you might say) over the past while. Here's one:

“There is no great goal achieved without greater sacrifice.”

If you looked at one of the comments left recently on my blog, you would have seen a message from a student interested in doing a story about me running the Boston Marathon. Turns out it's a graduate student from Emerson College , a school located in downtown Boston, which specializes in communications and the arts. We've exchanged some emails now since I never pass up an opportunity to talk about diabetes I said I would be happy to oblige. Hopefully I will be able to help them out and not hurt their chances of graduating!!

Today's workout was to be 50 minutes at marathon pace of 10:00 minutes/mile. Since the weather here was lousy (we had snow overnight) I decided to do 5 repetitions of a 1 mile circuit on streets that I knew would have minimal traffic. Everything went really well. My splits were: 9:45, 9:55, 9:40, 9:40, 9:30. I felt comfortable throughout but I'm not sure that I will be able to maintain this kind of pace for 26.2 miles. I think a pace target of 10:15 - 10:30 is probably more realistic.

This morning on CBC radio I heard a brief interview with the sports psychologist for Canada's national women's hockey team. He had been asked about the upcoming World Championships and how it was the Canadian players could deal with the pressure from our country's expectation that they should ALWAYS win the gold medal. He said something that resonated with me along the lines of ...

Trust in the process of preparation and the outcome will take care of itself.

I guess that means I should be thinking about how I've been training for more than a year now, with instruction and guidance from Coach Mike Booth and that I have done all that I possibly can to be ready for April 16th. What will be will be and it WILL be good!

Did my last long run yesterday - 15 miles in 2 1/2 hours - so I'm now officially into the "taper" period leading up to Boston. This means that for the next two weeks my runs will all be relatively short - 30 to 60 minutes - which will give my body a chance to rest prior to the big effort that looms on April 16th.

One of the things that many runners experience during the taper period is angst about how little they are running. There's a fear that you're losing your fitness level or something. The experts all agree though that now is the time to recuperate from all the tough training. They say that at this point "the hay is in the barn", meaning that one's fitness and endurance levels are where they need to be and that further hard training at this point has negative consequences rather than being of benefit.

So, for the next 13 days, I'm going to enjoy the decrease in training level and concentrate on being as mentally prepared as I can possibly be.