Taper Blues

As athletes begin to taper for big races, it is very typical to experience the "blues." Not all athletes experience the same feelings, but some of the typical taper symptoms include:

When first beginning to taper volume [amount training], some say they feel more tired than when they were putting in lots of hours. This leads to a temptation to resume higher volume. Resist the temptation it will pay off later.

As the taper continues, many athletes (or their family and friends) notice they are slightly grouchy. Okay, some are more than just a "little" grumpy. This leads to friends and family urging the athlete to put in more hours in hopes of extinguishing the foul mood. Resist the temptation. Urge your friends and family to quit tempting you. Take their observations to heart and lighten-up.

Roughly half the athletes begin to notice little aches and pains they never noticed before. The pains show up for no apparent reason. In fact, these pains were never around while doing more training hours - you know the drill - resist the temptation.

Within the last week before the race, some begin feeling slightly blue, or depressed. Others feel they have so much energy, they want to go workout or they'll go nuts. Hang on..

Within one or two days of the race, most athletes feel darned good. They are typically ready to race and want race time to be here - now!
If training volume has been tapered and some speed work has been maintained, you will be strong and fast on race day. Once the race has started, butterflies tend to disperse and feelings of confidence take over.

This is your day to be at your best - enjoy it!