Forget the 20-mile long runs, the intense speed workouts, the grueling tempo runs.   Tapering is the hardest part of training.  Here are 7 struggles of marathon tapering.  Trust me, there are more than 7.

First of all, when I’m tapering I have so much pent-up energy.

But on the other hand, all my runs start to feel slow and lethargic.

And don’t get me started on how annoyed I feel. Everything gets on my nerves and I can’t go out on a run to blow off the extra steam.

As a result, I become a bit snappy and my friends and family think I’m crazy.

I obsessively study the course, read re-read and re-read again the marathon’s webpage, and check the weather.  Please WeatherBug, have good news for me….

I begin to doubt my training and start to dread race day.

But then I call up my running buddies and make them set me straight.

They’ve been through the struggles of marathon tapering before and know how tough it is to not run.   It’s nice to have other runners who can put my insane tapering brain at ease.

The truth is,  I AM ready for this race. I’ve put in the miles, the sweat, the pain. My body is recovering in order to own the streets on race day. I need to trust in the training, take a deep breath, and get ready to kick asphalt.

Anyone else feel the same during taper?

Happy running,

Becca