Sunday is our race in the Tri-Cities. I’m in the TAPER.
The “taper” is a wonderful idea, don’t you know? It’s such a good idea, you’d think it could be applied to all sorts of things in life, but it can’t.
As you’re probably already aware, here’s how it works in running: You’ve done your training, long and hard, and in the last couple of weeks before your event, you gradually let up on the intensity of your workouts. The final week before the race, you take it easy–not lazy, but easy.
Today I’m wondering what else I could taper in my life.
Nothing! That’s the answer. The week before I turned my book in to the publisher (last month) was one of my hardest working weeks in the whole editing process. The week before someone comes to stay at my house (tomorrow–hi Charlene) is a week of cleaning like fricking crazy. For crying 
out loud, the week before I got my hair foiled (last Wednesday), I spent more time staring at myself in the mirror cursing my gray hairs than all the weeks that came before.
I’m just saying… the taper is particular to athletics, unless you can think of another arena where it applies. Anyone?
I’ve never really considered the taper this way – but you’re absolutely right. Now, I feel like I have some personal mission to figure out somewhere, anywhere, else it can be applied!
Yes, Shannon, please. I’m always wanting to taper in other areas of my life! Maybe that’s what a vacation is supposed to be, but the way Bill and I travel, it always feels like a sprint.
I know it runs counter to College Student Conventional Wisdom, but I never found it useful to cram right before an exam. I tried to pay attention all semester long, did some studying prior to the exam, then spent a day or two relaxing ahead of it instead of walking into the classroom with my nose in the notes. I found I did better when I was relaxed as opposed to frantically reciting information in my brain.
Good luck with your race this weekend! Tapering drives me a little batty, but I try to remember that it’s a good thing, because it means I get to race soon!