Taper On

Taper time. Rest, eat, sleep, repeat. No strength training, short workouts, and sleeping in...it's the greatest week ever.  And most of all, trust your training.

Although this time is filled with lots of physical rest, I feel like its emotionally the hardest week.  It's the time you go through the "shoulda, woulda, coulda" of training and have the nightmares that something overslept or went off course. And with every ache, pain, or funny twitch you feel, you are convinced you are injured.

So what does taper time mean to me? It is historically my most wonderful time of the year, but taper time isn't what it used to be when you're working mother of two. I try to sleep in a little, with only one work out a day, but sometimes that one workout still needs to happen at 5 AM. Stretch sessions with the kids are a daily occurrence, and I drink water like its my job. I eat clean, (and try not to feel guilty about the banana and peanut butter, despite not burning those extra calories). And Biofreeze and I are besties, because again, the phantom aches and pains start up.

Luckily, this is a mini taper, (especially considering I put out 24 miles in the last 48 hours), which takes some of the emotional stress off. Looking to use this race to work on my full pace, and the letters PR will be non-factor. With this in mind, I will enjoy my bannanas and peanut butter guilt free, and sleep soundly knowing PRs are not on this weekends agenda.