A negative split

I did an easy long run of 10 miles Friday and it was one of my best long runs yet. And dang if I didn't manage a negative split-on a 10 miler! I've gone over the numbers about a gazillion times and it comes up the same-a definite negative split by 2 minutes and some change. I knew between mile 7 and 8 that this was a good run. I got into that "zone" that on rare occasions I enter where the legs feel good and the body can do whatever I ask it to do. I was chomping Shot Bloks and swilling Cytomax during a short walk break every 2 miles or so, and I started with a really slow pace-that's probably the major factor in my ability to do a negative split; it's easy to run faster the second half of a run when the first half is so slow.

I have a race in 2 weeks and I was debating how to handle a taper before the race. I've learned that all I really need for a 10k is a week of easy running. The problem is, I'm scheduled to fall back this week, not next week. Shame on me for not studying the calendar a little more carefully-I've known about this race for months and I could have planned for it better weeks ago. So, do I run an extra week at my now customary 35 mpw and take next week as a fall back, which will be tiring but will put me on schedule for a good taper before the race, or do I take 2 weeks as a taper? I've decided to split the difference. I'm going to run a couple of good medium-long runs this week (maybe 3), then skip my 10 mile long run and have a little longer taper for the race. My runs lately have been really good so a few extra runs before the taper will probably be ok, and a couple of extra days of taper shouldn't hurt. I'm not really planning on racing, I just want to run this race; so I could probably do it without a taper at all. But who knows-I might get out there, get race-crazy, and go for it. I'm still trying to do a 10k in under 1 hour and this could be the race. Or not...