Why I hate the taper

You'd think tapering would be a good thing. Tapering is when you start backing off your higher mileage running in the few weeks before a race, in order to rest your body in preparation for the big day. You'd think after the kind of mileage I've been putting in, I would be rejoicing about tapering. Right? Wrong. I hate tapering. In these last days prior to Sunday, I am antsy, jittery, nervous, pacing, grumpy, stressed...and I can't run it off. I have become really dependent on running as my time to process, plan, think, pray, meditate and just breath when the day to day stress of life starts to wear on me. And now, when I really WANT to be running off all this excess energy, nerves and anxiety, I'm not supposed to! It's maddening to me! It probably makes me pretty annoying to be around, too. I can't sit still, I'm having trouble focusing, and I keep making lists. I've probably made 15 different lists, just today. To-do for now, to-do for tomorrow, to pack, to mail, to buy, errands for me, errands for others, to-do for others....heck, I am annoying myself!!! Aaaaaaaaargh! I need to run!! Who could possibly ever imagined that I would one day desperately desire to go running???

On another note, I am starting to pack and plan (and make lists, don't forget the lists!!!) for this weekend. I'm heading to the Expo in San Diego on Saturday to pick up my bib and packet. I will be ready to run. I will be dying to run. And as much as I dislike it, I can thank my taper for that.

In closing, I'd just like to say that Taper Madness is a real disease. http://blog.runnerslounge.com/2008/09/symptoms-and-tr.html (thank you to these bloggers for this hysterical and very true post!)