One week away!  Less than 7 days from now, at this moment, I’ll be swimming around Lake Mendota.  Hopefully on my second loop or I’m in trouble.  I love the word taper!  I never really needed it until now.  Last week, on my last long ride, I started out and within a few miles, I turned to my coworker and said, “I’m tired of being tired”.  It’s hard starting out a 5 hour ride already feeling tired.  So, tapering is my word for the week.

• T – Trust your training.  At this point, you’ve got what you got.  No amount of worrying is going to change your fitness level, so just trust within yourself you’ve got enough.
• A – Attitude is everything.  A common adage that is so true.  Recognize there will be ups and downs, many throughout the day and just ride the rollercoaster.
• P – Patience and pacing.  It’s a long day and if you hurry yourself along, you may just find yourself DNF.
• E – Enjoy the event!  All I want to do is finish and actually enjoy myself somewhere along the way.  That’s the point of doing this thing, isn’t it?
• R – Race – and we’re off!  To have a memorable day, whatever the outcome is.

I started writing this blog, albeit very sporadically, so many months ago.  It’s been a long time coming, yet it came too quickly.  I’m going to enjoy my taper week, and come Sunday – I’ll be benefiting from the fruits of my labor.  Wish me luck!