PP Marathon training - tempo test

According to my self prescribed (don't know if I really have much of a clue of what I am doing) training schedule for the big race - this week began the taper period.  On second / third / fourth look at it - going from 50 miles per week to 40 for this week ain't much of a taper. 

Side note - I plan on only 20 miles during the week before race day next weekend.

Another side note - long range forecast has chance for showers next Saturday, dry on Sunday:

Back to the point of my post..... This week I am running less overall miles, yet focusing in on some good hard runs.  Tuesday I got back up to the Summit and went down 4 miles, wiping out (minor, just a little blood here and there) only once (hmmm - I sense a theme of what happens when I lose concentration for a moment).  Then turned around and went back up.  Good, improved pace both directions.  I really think the high altitude training has been good for me.

Yesterday early evening I went back to the Greenland trail, have not been there since May, for my last 8 mile tempo run.  But also with my eye on seeing if I could break my previous best time there: 61 minutes, 22 seconds.  An 8 mile loop w/ over 500' elevation gain = good test.

However, before I even started I was already making mental and physical excuses: too hot (upper 80's), too tired (day before had over 2800' vertical gain - all above 11,000'), too bad.  I needed to try hard, putting forth a good effort and get this run in.

Result: despite really suffering, especially towards the end in the last 2 miles and slowing as a result / not having anything left to push with - I beat my old best time by a whopping 6 seconds.  Still, pleased with that and was kind of left thinking if I wasn't quite so tired I should be able to beat that time too - yet not really caring about trying to anytime soon.  So, the new PR is 61:16.  Still don't think I can get under 60 minutes, but sub 61 is doable.

On tap is another tapering suffering run this afternoon - doing the one minute madness repeats up Barr Trail from the Cog Railroad.   Then the real taper begins, albeit after a testing 10 miler back up on the Summit on Saturday.