Much Needed Taper

I hate to taper. The meaning "taper-madness" is well understood by any person who is used to training for hours on end. I usually get cranky and irritable and I tend to panic over not working out. I don't taper well.

This race, however, I find myself in great need of rest and I'm looking forward to several days in Boise where I can sleep in every morning, take naps every afternoon, and leisurely acquaint myself with the race course, transition areas, and Boise in general. I am exhausted after this weekend. My arms and shoulders are sore from bench-cutting on Saturday and my hands and wrists are still swollen from the spider bites I picked up. My right wrist was so swollen yesterday it hurt to shift gears on my bike. The Benadryl I've been taking is only adding to my lethargic attitude. My legs are dead from a 53 mile bike, 10 mile run, and a day of hauling equipment up and down hills.

I'm straddling the fine line between nervousness and anticipation and I'm getting to the point where I just want this over. My schedule this year has been hectic to say the least. Good ol' Murphy has made sure that whenever I have something important planned, that three other things come up that also need my immediate attention. I feel like I've been scrambling since March. I suppose every person with a full time job and a family goes through the same thing. I just haven't quite figured out where to make sacrifices so I'm not running myself ragged.

My goal in June is to completely overhaul my schedules: work, home renovation, training, and social. After next week, Boise will be over and the new carpeting will be installed in the house. At that point, I should be able to get a better handle on what needs my attention and what deserves my attention.

But until then, I need to rest and taper. It's time to focus on Boise and trust my training. Regardless of my miles and hours (or lack thereof) put into preparation for this race, I want to have fun. That's the whole point of this - challenging myself and having fun doing it.