Guys. 6 days. 6 freakin days. I don’t know how my body is going to physically handle the level of excitement/anxiety that I am currently feeling for another 6 whole days.
So let’s back up. The taper is continuing to go well, however it is totally messing with me mind. Everything about this is true:
I’m going to break this graphic down for how each of these symptoms are affecting me.
Severe Germophobia: okay i wouldn’t call it “severe”, but I have definitely been thinking twice about how long I wash my hands and I get uneasy when someone near me could potentially be sick. For example, a girl sitting near me at work today ate a cough drop during a meeting. I made a note to steer clear of that girl just in case she was secretly sick and hiding it…
Phantom Aches & Pains: yes. so so much.This one is totally freaking me out. I have had quite the laundry list of injuries over the years, and I think every single one has popped up in the past 4-5 days. One second I think my foot tendonitis is back. Another, my plantar fasciitis is back. Another my piriformis hurts. Another my knee hurts.
One thing that really does bother me right now is my calf. Actually right now as I type this, it is not bothering me, go figure…But yes, since my 8 mile taper run last Saturday, my right calf muscle has felt very strained. There is a tight knot in the outer upper section, near the trigger point marked here is:
I’ve been using a heating pad on it and foam rolling like crazy (though not too much to overstress it). I also made an appointment with my physical therapist for 2 days from now to check it out if it is still tight. CUT IT OUT CALF.
Inability to Focus: oh yes. very much yes. I’m surprised I’ve even been able to sit down and write this post for more than 4 minutes. Working this week has been hard. It doesn’t help that it is an incredibly busy week at work for me, so it’s especially bad. Writing lists has become a necessity as I quickly learned that my mind will explode if I keep everything in it this week.
Insomnia/Fitful Sleep: eh, this actually hasn’t been so bad. I have been going to bed slightly later than usual. My usual bedtime is ~10 ( I know, old lady..), but the past week I have been unable to stay off social media until 11ish. I’m still getting a good 7 hours, though I’m not sure just how quality those hours are. I have been waking up with a sore jaw from grinding my teeth (something I do in my sleep with I’m subconsciously stressed), and I have weird dreams (more on that under race-related nightmares)
Excessive handwashing/sanitizing: meh, I guess see the first point. Excessive? nah.But I have been washing my hands for noticeably longer than usual.
Heightened Sensitivity to Nearby Sneezing/Coughing: see the first point again.
High Level of Excitability: OH YES. The littlest things get me uncontrollably excited this week. When I was driving down Mass Ave on my way home from work yesterday, I almost cried tears of joy when I say this sign:
Yes, that sign is very festive and inspirational. But there are also about 10 million of them around the city. For some reason yesterday though, this one just “got me”. I didn’t actually cry, but I did do a happy dance in my car.
Heavy/Dead Legs: yeah, and just exhausted in general. I think the high level of excitability and anxiousness is wearing me out. I also don’t feel super fit right now. I haven’t been restricting my diet of the past few weeks, so I just feel flabby. I haven’t been going hogwild, but I also have not been saying no to any cookies that come my way. I felt pretty good on our 8 mile run on Saturday, but my legs were also happy when the 8 miles were done. What’s another 18.2?
Frequent Bouts of Self Doubt: so the possibility of not finishing hasn’t really crossed my mind, or at least I won’t let it. I think I am just worried about what will happen between 0 and 26.2. I am very nervous about injuries and fueling and basically anything that could affect my ability to enjoy the experience. I have never been more excited for a day in my life, so I am most nervous about anything that could compromise it. Yes, I completely expect the marathon to hurt, but I still want to be able to appreciate the whole experience and celebrate afterwards. Deep breaths.
Increase Anxiety: For all of the reasons mentioned in the point above, I am very anxious right now. Like I said, I also have a crazy week going on a work, and I just mentally cannot process it all. I feel like I am constantly on the edge of snapping, but the excitement for the big day is keeping me going.
Extreme Restlessness: I’m going to put that under the same category as Inability to Focus?
Obsession with Race Day Details: So actually, I think I need to get more obsessed with this. This weekend is going to be jam packed with events, so I need to make sure I have a good packing list for race day and plan of action.
Race Related Nightmares: Nothing scary or nightmare-ish, but I will have dreams about my coaches sending me an email with information that is completely false. For example, the other night I had a dream that they sent an email saying the race date had changed. In another one, the email said that the buses to Hopkinton were leaving at a different time than they really are.CUT IT OUT SUBCONSCIOUS!
Woof. Okay, well talking about my “Taper Madness” has somewhat helped. It’s going to be a whirlwind the next few days, but I’ll try to check in with blog posts about all of the excitement to come!
bahstonrunnah 