Taper Time

After logging between 2o and 40 miles per week for the past few months, it's time to taper for the marathon this Saturday. Last week called for a 50% reduction in mileage and to be honest I was a bit scared. What would I do with all of my extra time? Would I have to stop eating cookies every night past 9pm? Would my fitness level be maintained?

I found that I was able to burn off extra energy and enjoy a lot of great times with friends. Here's some non-running things I've been up to to take the edge off.

Last Monday a bunch of friends and I hit up college night at the local bowling alley. I'm terrible at bowling but it was a great time. We had cheap pitchers and blacklights for the bowling alley. Great times.

Thursday night Sam and I hit up a few Ann Arbor breweries for some pints. We stopped first at Jolly Pumpkin and each had an IPA (Sam's was gluten free!) and shared an amazing tasting plate full of delicious olives, local mushrooms and cheeses. The mustard was insanely spicy but so good.

Later we biked over to Arbor Brewing Company for another beer. I had a New Holland Poet and Sam had the ABC wheat ale.

Friday night I met up with friends again for a mini bar crawl. We started at my favorite dive bar and had pitchers of Miller High Life, darts and free popcorn.

Later our antics turned to shots and karaoke. A fantastic time indeed.

Saturday I hit up Whole Foods. My mom had graciously forgone the Easter basket this year in favor of a gift card to one of my favorite stores. I spent time with friends walking around the store, tasting cheeses and getting gelato.

Afterwards we brought the cheeses home with a baguette and beer for a little tasting. The Chimay Brie was soft and delicious, the 2 year cheddar was sharp and the raw milk bleu was intense!

Finally, Saturday night a bunch of science grad students hit up Asia City Buffet for some sushi. Delicious!

Although last week was fun (and a little alcohol-heavy), it's time to buckle down and get ready for the marathon! I'll be sharing my packing list, playlist and pre-gaming strategies this week, so I hope you're all ready! Meanwhile, does anyone have any tips or suggestions for how to survive (and conquer) 26.2 miles? I'm scared and excited!