Today ended all of our training runs for this cycle. It’s our taper week, which means that we’re all supposed to be taking it easy. Our mileage should be cut back and we shouldn’t be doing anything to strain ourselves. All this allows our legs to be fully rested. Really, by the time race day comes around, we should be raring to go. According to schedule though, we’re supposed to be doing our two weekday runs at race pace. To me that just doesn’t make sense at all. By going at race pace, aren’t you just thoroughly wearing your legs out right before the race? I decided to turn that on its head for my group. I encouraged everyone to do tonight and last night’s run at a really relaxed pace. Frankly, even then I could feel that my legs were a little bit heavy. At the very least, there are still a few days until the race. I;m sure it’s enough time to allow my legs to recover.
Just a few days more.
I’m actually pretty nervous about this race. It’s not really the act of racing itself that’s causing me stress, but more the set of expectations that I’m placing on myself. Now that I’m lighter, and that I’ve successfully pushed myself harder, I just don’t want to come out of the race with a lack of improvement. I realize it’s not good to put such pressure on myself like that, but I need to do this. I’ve worked too hard and made too many sacrifices to just be complacent about it all. Nope. Complacency is just lame.
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2 comments
Hui says:
Thu. March 4, 2010 at 9:34 am (UTC -5 )
Sounds like the typical kind of pressure to meet hightened self-expectations that a really well-prepared athlete feels. Did I just imply that you’re an athlete? You decide.
Jay says:
Fri. March 12, 2010 at 10:22 am (UTC -5 )
It’s hard to wrap my head around the idea of me being an athlete. Umm…that doesn’t fit my profile at all.
Except…I guess it does now? Gosh, I’m so confused.