I had to control myself a bit on my long run this past Saturday.  My training for the Mini-Marathon wasn’t what I wanted it to be this year.  I think I was in better shape for last year’s race.  That feeling forced some self-control. 

I thought about adding a mile or so to Saturday’s run.  Since I run so slowly, I had plenty of time to think about it.  I decided to stick with the route I planned and not add to it.  

Realistically, running one more mile last Saturday wouldn’t make much difference in my performance this coming Saturday.  

That wasn’t just me rationalizing my way to an easier day.  I remembered a lesson from a Mini-Marathon training program, years ago: over-training may lead to injury.  So, I decided — if I really have extra energy, I should save it for race day.

That’s the lesson for this week.  Even if we feel like we can run a lot, we should be tapering our distances as we get closer to race day.  I know some people who don’t run at all on the day before the race.  If I run, it won’t be more than three miles on Friday.  By then, I’ll hope my legs are fresh enough for the full 13.1 miles – and then whatever it takes to get me back to my car after the race.