Taper Madness and Still Keeping Things In Perspective

With a few days to go before the NYC marathon, I am getting over a cold and some random aches and pains. Taper-itis at it’s best. It is amazing what the mind can do. I seriously have not had a single issue or illness in the last 6 months. This kind of cracks me up. Kind of.

NYC marathon start
Big apple – Here I come!

Last year at this time, I was lamenting the NYRR/NYC decision to run the NYC Marathon in the wake of Hurricane Sandy. I went back and read that post and realized that there is still something I need to take away from it. I wrote:

Regardless of what the final decision is, there are good arguments for and against having the marathon on Sunday. I just hope whatever the decision is that the runners are safe and that there is an eye toward helping the city to recover versus adding strain to already constrained resources. I am not sure how it is possible, but I sure hope it works. And if there are changes or issues, I hope not to hear (or utter) a single complaint from runners. We all need to put it in perspective, this is a race, but for the great majority of us, it is really just for fun after all!

[Did I really just quote myself? Ridiculous.]

As I get nervous about performing well in the marathon, I will try to remember that this is supposed to be fun. I love the NYC Marathon for the crowds, neighborhoods, international presence, friends cheering and many other things. Most runners I know set several goals for marathons. I have a time one in my head based on training and past performances in NYC. I am not going to publish that here. It is not important. Just like last year, I will remind myself that this is for fun.

So here are my goals:

  • Goal #1 is to finish with a smile on my face. As I told Abby this morning, my goal is to smile so much that my face hurts when I finish. I think that is a great goal. I guess goal #1 is really to finish so I can tick NYC Marathon 14 off of my list so that I will only have one more to go for lifetime entry.
  • So, goal #2 is a face hurting, smile filled experience.
  • Goal #3 is a time goal. I will tell you on Sunday if I get that.

This is my story and I am sticking to it!

Good luck to other runners this weekend! I hope that your taperitis is fleeting, too! What are your goals and how are you keeping them in perspective?

PS. Don’t forget my Road ID/Winter Helpers and GoMacro Macrobars giveaways!