10 Things Taper

Ironman Texas is just about a week away and that means the taper is underway.  Which means I have extra time to blabber on BLOG!  I've also had some dedicate Hailey time as my numero uno is doing OT discovering new machines for DODOcase so that they can make your iPad case even more awesome.  So without further yammering, here's my top 10 things that I think about during taper time.

1.  What do normal people do with ALL of this free time...tonight I was done with work, working out AND dinner by 6:20PM.  I won't go to bed until 10PM, so seriously what do others do?  Oh, yes that's right, they have friends and they go to happy hour.  Which is one of many reasons that tapers are not awesome...you have all of this time, but you need to be spending it with your feet up imbibing water not alcohol and that leaves you at home on the sofa.

Fave Vino Williamson Wines...on hold until 05/20

2.  I make very few dietary sacrifices throughout the year, but for the two weeks leading up to a big race, I do get off the sauce.  I love wine and giving it up for a few weeks always makes me feel like it really is GO time and it's time to get serious.  It also makes me REALLY excited to have that first glass of vino apres race when I have abstained...I usually start to think about it mid-race, swear I'm not a lush.

3.  I also try to be really good about my diet leading up to a race, again about two weeks time to make sure it is really clean.  This means that by Friday I am gagging for things like digestives and pizza.  Does this happen to you too?  I was thinking today, WOW if only I had this kind of dedication 48 weeks a year I'd be as small as Kate Moss, but likely not as strong as Hailey Manning.  So, I'll try not to beat myself up over the dietary indiscretions I do have.

The hubs is a Brit, can you tell?!!

4.  It is much harder to go slower.  I find myself feeling much better at a quicker pace than when I slow down and follow the taper workout.  This is tough...I know that lethargic feeling is normal, it happens EVERY time and that that fast, fun feeling will meet me on race day.

5.  I start to get extra paranoid about sick people coming into contact with me.  I wash my hands more and am cognizant of germy things (where normally I will pick a Lara Bar off the ground if I need to)

6.  New presents come in the mail from my awesome supporters just in time to get me excited to race!  A new aero helmet?  THANK YOU Gray wheels!!  Luggage and sweats to fly me in style to TX?  Stellar from TYR!

7.  I am getting SO excited to see gal pals, Kebby and Sarah P, of recent New Orleans 70.3 fame and new friends that I have been making over the twittersphere. Part of the fun of races, aside from that day of bliss out on course is seeing friends from all over the country and catching up.  It's a non stop gab fest.

8.  I wonder how in the world I am going to cover 140.6 miles by my own power, and then break it down into teeny tiny sections to make it doable.  People ask, "what DO you think about for that long?!!"  My response is always, you have no idea how quickly that day of fun flies by.  Here's hoping next Saturday follows that tradition.

9.  The week I get back from Texas, is my third anniversary to Mark.  No idea how we're going to spend it yet, but I would bet dollars to doughnuts that it will involve copious amounts of the following: wine, gelato, and a dinner outside in the sun.  I'll try to dress normally and not in compression like I'm trying to recover from and Ironman.  Hopefully I still have all of my toenails on the 23rd.

10.  I LOVE triathlon, and am so excited to GET to go out there, see what I'm made of and have fun with friends.

See you out on the course!