A couple different people mentioned in their blogs last month that they made a What Went Wrong Log which was highlighted in a recent issue of Running Times magazine. This got me to thinking. Why wait until after a race to go back and pour through notes and try to remember the details of the past 21 days? Instead, I created a Taper Log, a log for the 21 days leading up to my marathon, my 21 days of taper. I decided to keep track of the following items: Mileage, Time, Pace, Weather, Weight, Sleep, Mood and Notes. That's all pretty straightforward. In the Notes section I write down anything and everything from my trip to the doctor, my appetite, vitamin intake, thoughts about my run, any aches and pains, my monthly cycle, etc. I go in several times a day and add to the Notes section as little things occur. This has been a great way to stay focused versus overanalyzing everything leading up to this point. I'm hoping that when I go back and look at this post-marathon there will be some specific things that pop out to me. We shall see.

Today I had an easy 5 miles on tap to run. I decided that in order to keep things truly easy I would take my dog with me. It's been a while since I've taken him on a run, so long, in fact, that he no longer sits eagerly by the door, tail wagging and mouth drooling, waiting for me to slip on his collar and run out the door. Poor guy. It was definitely time for him to get some exercise as well. One of the reasons why I've been hesitant to bring Zeke along with me over the past few months is because first of all, he can trip me up from time to time, causing minor scrapes and muscular injuries. He is a big dog. Also, he pulls and pulls for the first couple of miles before he settles into his easy pace. The first half of the run I'm trying to slow him down and the second half of the run I'm trying to get him to speed up. Still, I figured I'd take him along to the park so that we could both enjoy this nice but strange November weather we've been having.

In the first photo you can see him running ahead of me, pulling on his leash. Turns out there were no other dogs in the park today and literally a handful of people so I dropped the leash and let him drag it behind him. This worked out so well because I didn't have to keep yanking the leash and could swing my arms freely. In this second picture we are near the end of our run and you can see how tired he is, lagging behind with his tongue hanging out. Fun times.


Turns out this is exactly the run I needed to push out my PMS freaking taper blues. The weather was a bit cooler than yesterday, I was able to feel more comfortable in my paces and it all felt so easy.

So, get this. Yesterday I was feeling all miserable and moody and depressed. I posted an inconsiderate and ungrateful blog entry which I quickly regretted and deleted. And then I wandered into Kickrunners where jebba posted the following: "Does anyone else get a little blue/anxious during taper? I've not been feeling my best for several days, and I am wondering if it is the taper getting to me." Huh? I swear I did a double take. That got me to thinking so I googled "taper blues" and a few things popped up. Turns out there really is a phenomenon called Taper Blues. I found a decent article on the Active website which outlines the following:

• feeling tired
• feeling flat & fatigued
• feeling grouchy & moody
• feeling sudden aches & pains
• feeling slightly blue or depressed

The article finally goes on to say: "Within one or two days of the race, most athletes feel good."
 
And another article here.

I cannot tell you what a relief it was to find this information. I felt really horrible for acting like such an ingrate a day ago and thought that maybe it was best for me to just stop blogging and talking about my taper and just go silent for a while. I'm feeling human again now that I know that others feel this during taper, too. I am not the only one.

I also broke my no alcohol rule and popped open a couple of beers. And I got my period. I'm feeling a little crushed at the moment but on the other hand, it's only temporary. There is a light at the end of the tunnel.