Time to Shut 'Er Down

It's taper time.  Last week, after completing the double 11.2 the previous Saturday, I had a pretty typical week.  I ran 3 times during the week and 11.2 on Saturday with a friend who was attempting to double.  Well, I just felt slow all week.  I tried some tempo on Thursday and was pretty spent, earlier than usual.  Even the beautiful hills and peace in PWP seemed harder.  Every hill seemed longer and steeper than I remember.  

Today I did about 8mi with some friends at about 7:15-7:30 pace.  That is fast for me.  I run my tempo between 6:30 and 7:00 afterall.  Generally, I felt okay, but my shins were tight and my knees are still feeling it.  Since the double, I've had the reoccuring nagging knee problems.  All these aches and pains and sluggish feeling tell me one thing - it's time to shut it down.  I have just under 12 days before the race, and I need to rest.  I will resume using the foam roller and stretching hardcore to make sure the knees are good.  And I will be running easy from here on out.  

The time is close - I get more excited with each day.