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My September was not so exciting as Brian’s, so maybe I’ll start trying off-cycle updates. In calendar September I ran 180.5 miles. Here are some highlights (other than our races) since my last post.

A small personal victory was not skipping workouts while on business trips or due to weather. I ran repeat miles in Texas around a neighborhood in the dark and rain and I ran 3 miles on a treadmill (I really try to avoid them) at my hotel in Virginia. I ran 4 miles in the pouring rain one morning in Newburyport because I knew that was the only time I had in my schedule to go. I was proud of just getting up and making myself go, even if the run was short, so I didn’t skip as many workouts.

The first weekend of October we discovered the Middlesex Fells and will definitely be returning! I can’t recall if I mountain biked or hiked there while living in Cambridge, but in any case it is a great place to trail run. We both enjoyed the change of pace: figuratively, to be getting off the roads, and literally, slowing down to pick our way through steep and rocky sections and then pick it up when the trails were more forgiving. It was really fun and I expect we may try it out in the winter for snow shoeing as well.

Now it’s halfway through October, and it feels weird to be tapering. No speed work or hill work this week, the first time since June. We did 20 miles on Monday with negative splits, our last “long” run before the race. (Long for us is 20 miles – we ramp down to 15, then 10, then 7 over the next two weeks.) At this point my goal is to stay healthy, not get hurt, and enjoy our time in the Canyon. It’s a good time to be distracted by vacation, travel and work.