My marathon training: What's left to do

Only 30 days left until the Chicago Marathon.

Here's what's left to do:

9/8 to 9/14: I've logged 114 miles of running the three weeks prior to this one, so this is a "recovery" week. It's a chance for my body to fix anything that's broken, and to prepare for what's ahead. I'll only log 23 easy miles through Saturday. I'll stock up on any supplies I need, but not try anything new that I haven't tried in training.

9/15 to 9/21: Back to the grind as this is the last week for big miles. This week I'll log 37 miles culminating in my last 20 mile run on Sunday as part of the Nike Ready to Run 20 Miler event. This is it. It's downhill from here.

9/22 to 9/28: Only 27 miles on the schedule this week with my longest run at 12 miles on Saturday. This week I'll dial in my nutrition needs for the race and prepare my body to run in cooler weather by running later in the day with little sun. I'll also run in the rain as much as possible. Best to be prepared for anything.

9/29 to 10/5: The "Taper" begins in earnest. It's a time to let my body heal itself, but still keep the leg muscles fresh with smaller runs. No big efforts this week. I'll be sure to eat well and begin to sleep 7 to 8 hours a day. Little running means the nerves take over. It's a nice time to do other things I've been missing out on like fishing and taking care of personal things. Easy does it.

10/6 to 10/11: The final week. Only 12 easy miles to do. My biggest run will be 5 miles on Wednesday. I'll be stretching a lot, eating well, and sleeping well (try to anyway). I'll be watching the weather like a hawk to make sure I'll have the right clothes for race day. On Saturday, I will relax and prepare everything I need for Sunday. No running for three days leading up to the race. Hopefully spend time with friends and family this week to help calm my nerves.

10/12: Race day. 26.2 miles of the biggest event of my life. I don't know what to expect, but I promise to do my very best.

Coming soon- plan to come cheer on the runners? I'll write up some tips on how you can enjoy this incredible event along with the 45,000 other runners. I was there last year and was brought to tears by the sheer determination of the finishers.

Hopefully, you will be inspired too.