T-minus 3 weeks

Yesterday I did my last long run before tapering down for the race. I ran 20 miles on Hutchinson Island, almost entirely on pavement. I tried to replicate race conditions as closely as possible. I've learned that surprises are great on Christmas and birthdays, but not so much for races. It was a humid, warm morning and I didn't feel particularly peppy at any point during the run like last week, but I slogged through all the miles at an average 9 minute pace. I expected to be a corpse for the next 36 hours, but I am eerily well today with only minor soreness. I feel like I'm in a good place with training. I've done a number of things differently this go around, so I'm not sure what to attribute my small victories to or if it is a combination of several things.

• I'm eating much better. I've lost 15 pounds by forgetting the 3 meals a day paradigm and basically just snacking on protein and fat all day. I'll eat a moderate size dinner, usually with a salad. Very little sweets and bread. I save the pure carbs for when I'm running. I have more energy and don't have to haul around as much weight.
• I've focused my training to include high-quality long runs. I worked up distance slowly to my maximum of 20 miles. On average I run 3-4 times a week. My short runs are generally 2-5 miles, some intervals, cross-training.
• I figured out how to use energy gels. I used to reserve energy gels like they were a fine vintage concoction. This usually meant eating a gel after I was already "bonking" when it is too late to salvage a run. Now, I eat gels every 30-45 minutes before the bonk.
• Electrolytes. I'm taking an electrolyte supplement w/ trace minerals. Also, I only drink gatorade for the long runs now. Something I've done in the past is alternate water and gatorade. With the heat here, I think it would be pretty hard to get too much salt. Cramping has not been an issue for several months now.
• I've developed better form. I think this is the key. Having good form is usually not too hard for several miles, but after some fatigue it is hard to focus. I think all the previous points have enabled me to maintain good form for longer periods.

Things look great for race day at this point. I'm on track to run under 4 hours. I'll try not to do anything stupid in the next few weeks.

T-minus 4 weeks

Today I had the best long training run to date. I ran 18 miles at my goal race pace (8:45). No cramping. No emergency deuce. I had energy throughout the run and succesfully negative split. My running nutrition has improved significantly through bitter trial and error. I ate over 500 calories on this run and my stomach was fine. I constantly refocused on my form, which helped maintain pace. And it was beautiful out. With 4 weeks to go, I feel like all the hours on my feet are paying off.

I've lost about 15 pounds between all the running and changing my diet to small meals every 2-3 hours. No more post-lunch comatose state. I feel more energetic and importantly, light on my feet.

Next week is my last distance increase before I taper for the race. I will do 20-21 miles. Looking forward to race day!