Marathon mania - It's taper time!

Tick-tick-tick! No, that’s not my biological clock ticking. (That’s another story.) It’s the marathon countdown clock.

My first-ever full marathon is just 10 days away. The longest runs are done. Training tapering is underway. The shorter runs are growing even shorter, and additional rest days await.

That’s sort of a mixed bag for me these days.

I’m finding, like so many active runners, that rest days are hard to take. I’m growing restless. My legs want to move. My muscles want to work. I look forward to the next run, especially when I have to take a day off.

On off days, I usually end up on my bike or in a gym class. I leash up my dogs and go for trail walks. Or I saddle up my horse and ride a few loops. And I still miss running on such days.

That’s the funny thing about running. It’s awfully hard to start. But it’s tough to stop, once we gain the momentum of several months of it.

Gotta do something.

Am I ready for the marathon? I surely hope so. I’ve definitely put in the time and the miles.

Am I jazzed to line up with 55,000 other runners? Holy moley. I can’t even answer that.

And what about that weather report? I’ve looked up race-day forecasts enough times already that I think I ought to receive continuing education credits for meteorology. But it’ll still be a surprise, when the day finally arrives.

Bring it, Chicago.

At this point, I am excited about the race. But I also can hardly wait till it’s done.

Images:

Adapted from public domain image

Feel free to follow on GooglePlus and Twitter. Please visit my Amazon author page as well. And I am happy to share my RUNDERDOG ambassador code for 10% off on Bondi Band Athletic Headbands, Accessories, and Fashions. (Simply enter the code at online checkout.).