Patience

With less than two weeks left until the start of the Hunger 500 I have officially entered my least favorite part of training: the dreaded taper.  The taper always seems to come around just when I am beginning to really hit a groove; when I really find my stride so to speak.  Just when the miles start to roll off a little easier than they have been is when I am forced to not push the limits.  I have a theory that this attitude or state of mind happens at this exact time precisely because I know I have to start tapering.  That if I did not have to taper, I would not be as enthusiastic about my miles.  This is not a novel sentiment by any means.  Much of what we desire as humans is linked to a wanting of what we cannot have.  As soon as I know that I should not be off running for hours and hours on end, it is exactly what I want to do.  I find myself making excuses to run longer, where usually I make very convincing arguments for the other side.  So why put myself through the agony of a taper?  Many runners only utilize a minimal taper, but for an event like the Hunger 500 the danger of going in with tired legs is too high.  As a very inspiring ultrarunner, Kelly Ridgway, has said, "It's better to be undertrained than overtrained".  During a taper, running becomes the giant elephant that follows you around wherever you go.  At times, the want to run can be consuming, despite knowing that it is not in my best interest.  Successfully tapering requires a great deal of forethought, patience and projection.  So much of running is about being in the moment, experiencing life as it comes at you.  One of my favorite aspects of running is that it requires very little forethought.  If I want to run, I can put on my shoes and head out into the world.  Tapering removes this aspect of running and replaces it with an annoying voice that constantly asks you if you should be running this hard or this far when your event is so close on the horizon.  But, like the other difficulties I have faced in preparing for the Hunger 500, there is nothing to do but embrace the taper.  So I have decided not to fight the taper this time around, but to enjoy it.  To enjoy only running a little bit.  To enjoy being off my feet more than usual.  Because in less than two weeks I will not have the opportunity to do so.

Practicing Patience,

Joe