The Beginning of the End

Hi. It’s Laura.

Happy Monday!

Last week The Husband suggested the title “The Beginning of the End” for another blog entry. And when I read it in the email he sent me, I started to cry.

I started to cry because I realized my journey is really coming to the end and that end is this Sunday. I have been sharing my journey with you for the last eight months. I am really going to miss you and sharing my experience. But every journey must come to end and this one is less than a week away.

There is still work to get done this week but not nearly at the level where I have been training. This week is all about tapering. So what is tapering?

Tapering is reducing the strain on an athlete’s muscles and allowing the athlete's muscle to restore them in preparation for the big day. Workouts do not stop completely but the duration and the intensity level decrease. There are so many ways to taper and depending on your coach, your sport and your fitness level will determine how long your taper should be. Some can be as long as four weeks and other can be a short as one week.

This for me is the hardest week of all. Race day is Sunday so what better way to work out some nerves than go for a run. Except I can't. I need to rest. And if you know me at all sitting around and doing nothing for the next six days in nearly impossible.

Instead of spending two hours on my bike, I will be practicing changing my tire in case of a flat. Instead running for two hours, I will be practicing taking off my wetsuit and the transition from swim to bike. Instead of swimming for hours on end, I will be at the chiropractor and massage therapist working out the last kinks. There is plenty to keep me occupied instead of obsessing over race day (which I will probably do anyway because that is what I have been doing for the last eight months).

I am highly anticipating some post-race blues. All the months of prep, then the race then what? I don’t know yet. I can tell you it will NOT be a marathon (even if it is in Paris). Let's see how Sunday goes and then I will let you know.

Play hard!
Laura