Taper Tantrum

I’ve been slacking off.   No, not on the running part.  Well, maybe a little but after 4 months of marathon training right after finishing a marathon, girl can get a little tired and skip a weekday run (or two — sorry Coach!).   I’m talking about updating my training progress.   This blog have not been updated with my training progress.  I am supposed to do weekly update.   Recap of what I did on that week, what work and what didn’t work as well as document how I felt.

Yeah.  That didn’t happen.   There.  I ‘fess up.   We can move on now, yes?

Portland Marathon is 5 days away.   I started to get little antsy.   My weekly miles are significantly less as my runs are now shorter (nothing above 8 miles).  I drank more water and ate more carbs than normal.   This alone result of me feeling like a busted can of biscuit.   You know what I’m talking about?  Have you seen Pillsbury dough in a can?  When you twisted the can and all the dough burst out of the seam?   Get the idea?

I am also nervous.   This is going to be my fourth marathon.   I should be calm as I know what to expect, right?  You know, been there, done that, got the t-shirt?   Yeah, not so much.   The butterfly in my stomach when I think about the distance are still there.  26.2 miles is a long way and as much as I feel ready, race day is a different story.    The hardest part of the marathon is not the race day, but the journey to get to the start line.   I logged 351.4 miles since the beginning of the training.   In four months.    That’s a lot of miles, time commitment and sweat and don’t even talk to me about how many GU that I ate throughout the training.   Or how many bottle of Gatorade that I consumed.

I know I am ready.

However, I feel like having a tantrum.  A taper tantrum.  I want to go out and run more.   You know, just to make myself more ready.   And a sudden urge to buy more running gear because I really do need another fuel belt and socks.  Oh and more Sparkle Skirts and an extra compression socks just in case.    I also feel sluggish.    I run less, and eat more.   This is bad.  I probably am not ready.   Panic.   Anxiety.   Weight gain.   Worry about injury.   More panic.   I can’t get sick.   I think I’m coming down with a cold.    I should pack now.   I don’t think I’m ready.   Is it going to be pouring rain?  More panic

Get the picture?

There are so many article out there about what to do when you are on taper phase so I’m not going to write it here.   Just google/bing that yourself and you’ll have plenty of advice/tips and tricks (believe me, I’m reading them all now) and I know this is normal but I just need to put it out there and apologize in advance for those around me and those who have to interact with me in person for the next few days (my dear husband, bless his heart, my friends and co-workers)

I might be acting a tiny bit crazy in the next few days.     You have been warned.