The Return of Tapie thte Taper

Just seven days until the Buckeye Trail 50k, so it time for our favorite pre-race mascot, Tapie the Tapir. Last weekend,I was out of town so I missed the last of the BT familiarization runs, a 22 miler. Instead, I ran a 22 miler in in the Milburn-Oranges area of New Jersey. I hit the trail by 5:45 AM because we were going into the city for a walking tour of the Greenwich Village (specifically a food tour of the west village), so I had to be home, showered, dressed, and ass in car seat by 10:15 AM. We drove back on Monday, and I didn't get a run in.
On Tuesday, I biked to work. On the way home, I was trying to beat a massive thunderstorm that was chasing me from the northwest. I almost made it, but about a mile from home the storm caught me. The winds were bad but the rain was worse. It fell so hard and heavy that I couldn't see more than ten feet in front of me. I have been in swimming pools and stayed drier. Luckily, I made it to the side streets and out of the worst of the traffic, and got home safely. Tuesdays are suppose to be speed work days at the track, but that was not happening. If the rain and wind weren't enough, the lightning convinced me that I should stay off the track. To make up for the missed speed work, I did an aggressive tempo run on Wednesday, but kept it to only 8.5 miles (It is taper time, remember.) Thursday and Friday were both 6 mile hilly runs, both at an easy pace.

I was anxious to get one last trail run in on Saturday. Thankfully, Steve Hawthorne was there, so I knew it would be a great morning. We ran the to path to Boston Store, then took the BT through Pine Lane trail back. It was only 10.5 miles, and at a moderate pace, which made Tapie the Tapir very happy.
I am getting psyched about the race. I think I'll try for about five and a half hours. Paul R., who has been hurt and was seriously considering skipping the race, asked me if he might try at least running the first half with me. Of course! He's a great runner, and I strongly suspect he'll change his mind again by race day and decide to do the whole thing. Regardless, it would be great to have him to set the pace. I hope he has a good, restful week and feels good by next Saturday.