Tuesday's on the Run - Taper Quirks & Dreams

It's my first time to join in on a Tuesday's on the Run post and I couldn't be more excited!

This week's topic is all about the taper - your quirks, cravings, or rituals...

My running coach has often refers to the "taper crazies" - the anxiety and nervousness runners feel during the time leading up to their race. It's also a time when weekly distance drops and carb loading begins. 


The hardest taper I ever endured was in the week leading up to Goofy's Challenge. I remember having crazy dreams about missing the start line, my alarm not going off, sprinting to make it to the start, etc. It's usually the dreams that get me. 

There's a vision that always haunts me prior to a runDisney race. It was the year I ran the Full Marathon (2011, I think). It was my very first full and I was taking it all in. Well, I had a friend who was running the half that year, so I met up with another friend to cheer her on from the TTC. As we waited for runners to approach, we saw two stray runners who either woke up late, missed their bus, etc. One was frantically running through the TTC, eating a banana and attempting to catch a monorail. The other one was a man who basically sprinted through us to get where he needed to go. I so hope they both made it to the start line as I felt so bad for them! 

After experiencing that, my brain now goes to the worst possible scenario during taper week and my dreams go crazy.

Although the butterflies and anxiety get to me sometimes, tapering is good! I enjoy the slower pace, the "bonus" time I get to spend at home, and all the excitement that leads up to a race. 

I honestly enjoy tapering (most of the time). All of the time on your feet, hours of training, and hard work has finally paid off and the ultimate reward of crossing the finish line is directly ahead of you. Tapering is a time to scale back the weekly mileage and run a few easy paced miles "just because". 

If the dreams would leave me alone, I would be alright! :)

Now, ask me about this again in December before my next half marathon and I'll probably tell you a different story! :)