As I sit on my butt and begin the "one week from now..." countdown clock, I feel... lazy. Time to Taper. After 15 weeks of running, even when I felt there were other things to do, 4-5 times a week I am being told to sit this week out. Just when I felt like I should be out getting 20 miles in (yesterday for my long run) to "make sure I'm ready," I was told to run 5 and then meet at Starbucks for hot chocolate and a cinnamon roll. On the agenda for the rest of the week? Not much. I'll go to track on Wednesday but don't intend to do anything too speedy. Then: a plane ride, finding my way around the city capped by a run THROUGH the city!

So, now that I am supposed to be thinking of anything BUT running, here are some things I've learned while training for the big marathon:

*Since ditching the iPod I've become a much calmer runner.
*Although Phoenix is a big, bustling city, there are plenty of quiet trails in the places you would least expect them.
*Even though I may "eat to live" during the week, on Saturdays I fully admit to "running to eat."
*As afraid of the marathon as I was (am), I do like telling people that I'm running a marathon... IN ONE WEEK!
*Counting calories on Saturdays has a whole different meaning than what you'd normally think; I'm thinking, "how in the heck can I cram 100 calories in during the next hour?"
*It's a great feeling to be laying down for a nap on a Saturday morning at 11:00 knowing that I've already been up for 7 hours and burned between 1500-2000 calories.
*Lemon-lime really is the best flavor of Gatorade ever invented.
*Some movies are good "nap movies." My favorite this season? Elf, Two Weeks Notice, How to Lose a Guy in 10 Days, Run Fat Boy Run, Hitch, and 50 First Dates.

The most common question I'm getting lately? "Are you planning to run the Rock 'n Roll in January?" My response? "I'll tell you on November 3rd."

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