Monday, February 11, 2013

What Does Taper Look Like..

I am less than two weeks from the Cowtown Marathon. That means it's taper time. I feel like it should be one big party with glasses of champagne and slaps on the back.

That certainly isn't what taper looks like from here. From here it looks like:

A warm steam humidifier.
Vick's VapoRub, without anyone singing Soft Kitty.
It also looks like Breathe Right Strips, antibiotics and Mucinex. It sounds like lots of nose blowing and a cough that would make you think I've been smoking a pack a day for most of my life.
Sounds like a big old party, right?
I am trying to remain calm. I am trying not to freak out about my ankle being sore and a little swollen. I am trying to remember that I am not going to lose any of the fitness I have gained over the last few months of training in these last two weeks before race day. I am trying to be a glass half full kind of girl.
There are no more three hour training runs in the near future. All the miles I have put in are going to serve me well come race day. Even though every mile hasn't been easy, I have earned this time to taper. These last two weeks are a time for my body to rest up and get ready to be at the starting line in Fort Worth. No matter what I am strong enough to do this on my own, even if I don't have to.
The hard part is not over yet, but I have earned the right to sit back and think about all the running I have done since the beginning of December and know that I have worked hard. Even if my training "plan" was unconventional I believe I'll be ready in two weeks to give it my all.
Tomorrow, my hacking cough and I are going to stay home in the morning. I will definitely be ready for yoga tomorrow night. I wonder if anyone would notice if I wore a Breathe Right Strip, or brought a box of tissues with me. Maybe I could just bring the humidifier. A little warm steam never hurt anyone, right?

 

1 comment:

  1. Feel better!! Sounds like this taper came at the perfect time. Rest and let your body heal itself. You're going to kick butt at Cowtown!

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