Two weeks to Race Day!

I think I will start this post similar to others who take a break from posting regularly.  Between work, kids, increased training miles, and my own special skill of laziness, all conspired to keep me from posting regularly.  The guilt still existed, just not the time or desire.  Considering I rolled out of bed at 4:30am on a Saturday so as to get my long run in, I think I will forgive myself, this time.  

After a nice, relaxing weekend this last Saturday and Sunday at the Kansas Speedway, taking in the racing spectacle with the fellas, I returned home to a couple more days off to recoup and recharge.  As anyone who has trained for a race has experienced, most of the difficult training is now complete.  The next couple of weeks are dedicated to some speed work to stay sharp and trying to avoid the dreaded taper madness. 

Ahh yes, the taper -- the time I both dream of during the difficult training phase and equally dread, for all the right reasons.  Taper madness, for me, usually takes the form of hypersensativity to every ache and pain.  Wait, was that a stress fracture?  Or maybe I just pulled a muscle?  I never start with the little stuff or the simple things.  Nope, I jump right into the crazy territory and I am convinced that I have managed to do something to myself that will prevent me from finishing my goal and wasting all of my hard work.

Even when I know this phase is coming, I still battle in my mind to keep the madness away.  Of course, I have help at this task.  My family gets to share a little of my madness as I share the newest ache or pain with them along with my self diagnosis.  I am a doctor after all.  Maybe not a medical doctor, but who is splitting hairs (wait, did my hair just start to fall out?).  My wife, who really is a medical doctor,  seems to use just enough tough love to keep me in check (I secretly think she enjoys the tough love a little to much) and manages to help me get through this phase and make it to the starting line.

Speaking of which, I need to get out there today and put in a fartlek workout and maybe a few miles on the bike . . . wait, was that my knee? 

Until we chat again . . .