Although the worst of the physical training is now over, they say the taper is when it starts to get tough mentally: not running so much, after running so much, plays havoc with the psyche. It is during this time, I guess, that I'll have to focus on rest, sleep, and relaxation. Difficult with everything else going on, and maybe even more difficult than the physical side. I have to admit that I had planned a more comprehensive, serious approach to training, including more biking, swimming, and a far better approach to nutrition (the approach I adopted: devour everything in sight, as per usual practice). Regardless, I am here, and now I have to get ready for the Main Event. That they say you shouldn't run for a month after a marathon, despite the training plan calling for a 3-miler the day after a 20-miler, merely underscores how vastly greater a challenge it is to tack on those last 6.2 miles on race day. I'm reminded of Rodney Dangerfield's line in "Back to School," toward the end, where he has to take an oral exam to avoid getting expelled and the punctilious business professor gleefully unloads an impossibly convoluted question: "Piece of cake!"
(Carson is already telling me that after consulting with his even crazier friend Rich, I should bump next week's 15-miler down to a 12-miler.)
So I soldier on. Fortunately, the legs are recovering well. I have already been up and down the stairs a lot this morning working on the laundry, and I have been able to negotiate them better than, say, the Bush administration might have done. I remember that after I ran my first 5K (of the 'modern era') back in December, I could barely handle the stairs. Of course, immediately after that race, I helped Sean shovel out his driveway... and his neighbors'. And recall that that 5K had been delayed due to blizzard. Hmm. Always gotta leave something in the tank.
Speaking of which, tonight: pumpkin beer and Game Three!
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