All Quiet

Normally during a taper period, most people tend to go stir crazy not knowing what to do with their extra time.  While I certainly have extra time on my hands, I feel like I am in this sort of state of reflection that has me staying quiet.  Sure, I get the urge to want to head out the door and crank out a hard tempo run every now and then, but I'm mostly spending this time reflecting on this marathon's journey.

Compared to previous ones, this one has actually been relatively quiet.  By quiet, I mean not having to complain or deal with massive amounts of rehab just to get to the starting line.  I've sure had my nicks along the way, but who doesn't?  I've been able to manage them through regular, almost daily, stretching and strengthening routines that have become a staple of my training.

This reflection also has me looking back and what a wide ride of emotions training for a marathon can be.  Constantly checking the weather, noticing every little creak and crack my body makes to determine if it might be the onset of a new issue, comparing my long run of this week to the long run of last week, scoping out the race course, eating well to safely get down to racing weight...so many things going on and so much to look at.  Of course this isn't anything new, it's just an observation that I finally have a chance to sit back and make.

I guess at the end of the day, what really has me satisfied, and is probably the biggest reason why things are so quiet, is the fact that I know I have done everything I can do to be ready on race day.  From a training standpoint, there is really nothing left for me to prove.  I approached this training cycle differently than any other - I took it 1 day at a time...no looking ahead.  My goal, each and every day, was to focus on completing the workout at hand, and I knew that all the other stuff would take care of itself.  So here I am sitting in the final few days before the race, extremely proud of my training.

However, on the racing front, I still have LOTS to prove...but I can only keep counting the days until I finally get a chance to do so....