This is Taper.

Sugarloaf Mountain from Teller Farm.

Preparation for the City of Oaks Marathon ended with a two-week taper period, easy shorter runs with a bit of tempo pace thrown in for spice.

Tapering is somewhat individual. You have to rest, but if you rest too much you will be lethargic on race day.

Coach.

The notion is that training effects and conditioning of the body have happened to the extent they're going to happen, and any additional hard work is wasted and simply increases the odds of injury. So it's a holding pattern while the body does final healing and builds reserves for the test it'll be put through.

That has been difficult for me to hold onto--in my usual fashion, I've had to consciously avoid strenuous runs, seeking the smoothest, flattest terrain I can find, all at a lower elevation. Teller Farm was an immediate choice, though even here to get in the full miles without doubling back I had to venture into the Boulder White Rocks area, which meant terrain.

Same story for the wonderful flats along Boulder Community Ditch, starting at Doudy Draw. To get the full miles meant extending south back through Flatirons Vista, all gorgeous country but not exactly flat.

Despite the terrain the runs were easy, heart rate stayed slow, pace was gentle.