4/10/16 to 4/16/16: Terrible Taper Week

Taper week felt like a disaster.  I was constantly tired, and concerned that I might be coming down with something.  There are a few non-running things going on as well that caused some stress, and I was worn out (mostly good things, but they required a lot of mental energy).  Elizabeth and I also hosted the carbo-load party on Saturday, and all that cleaning, cooking, and general prep work involved that kept me on my feet all day.  Suffice it to say, it was a busy week with less running and less intensity, and it felt like a disaster.

At the party I had a conversation with Obi Jon Waldron that resonated with some thoughts I had earlier in the week in relation to the crappy runs during taper week.  Essentially this:  with higher mileage training, it typically takes a few miles to get warmed up and feeling good.  Sometimes I will run six miles feeling like crap, then run a great workout.  During taper week, I'm typically not running more than six miles at a time - so I only run the portion that feels like crap.

Unfortunately, I was less concerned this week about how my runs felt, and more concerned with how I felt when I wasn't running.  In the end, I simply had to respect the process.

The week:

10-Apr		Doyle's Emerald Necklace 5m *Pub		1:07:00		9.88		AM: Solid warm up, and calves loosened up after feeling tight when I woke up.  Big PR.  7th place in 26:52.  Full write up done.
		Off		0:00:00		0		PM: Couldn't nap…supwitdat!?
11-Apr		Easy		0:39:48		5.25		AM: 5+ at 7:35/mile.  Legs are feeling good after yesterday.
		Moderate		0:49:29		6.5		PM: 6+ at 7:30ish.  Not bad, not great.
12-Apr		Easy		0:39:46		5.31		AM: 5+ at 7:30ish.  Quicker pace, but no pop and feeling really worn down overall.
		Workout		1:26:19		11.2		PM: Commute home and to Harvard.  800x2 - I cut this short as I felt very fatigued and like I was pressing.  I also felt a tiny twinge in my right hip.  Glad I cut it short as my back was thisclose to being thrown out.  I iced up and felt ok in the morning.  I think if I pushed it, I would have thrown my back out.
13-Apr		Easy		0:41:39		5.32		AM: Really easy commute.
		Easy		0:39:28		5.09		PM: 5+ at 7:45.
14-Apr		Easy		0:39:17		5.32		AM: 5+ at 7:23.  Felt good.
		5k at MP (Nope)		0:42:01		5.59		PM: 5+ at 7:30.  Calves a bit too stressed to attempt the planned 5k at MP.
15-Apr		Easy		0:35:27		4.68		AM: 4+ at 7:34/mile.  A little tired still.  Need to get in a good recovery sleep.
		Easy		0:33:50		4.68		PM: 4+ at 7:15/mile.  Quicker pace due to a few pickups.  Legs still felt sluggish.  No pop.
16-Apr		Easy		0:26:08		3.01		AM: Really easy over to Marathon Sports for Gu.
		Off		0:00:00		0		PM: Frickin heck, why'd we cook so much food!?  CSU Carbo Load Party at our place.  LOTS of cleaning and prep.  Fun time though!

Total: 71.83