Taper Tantrum

All athletes know the week before their event is a tough week both physically and mentally.  

Physically, we have done the training and know we need to rest mix in  some "light training" and get to the start line healthy.  
Mentally, we work on scenarios.  The start, the perfect race, the worst case scenarios and how it will look and feel at the finish.
As you have shared this season with me, you know it has NOT been the season I had planned. Kettle was a perfect storm of what goes wrong and nagging injuries have severely hampered my training this Summer.  But the last three weeks I have chosen to stay away from running and focus on cross-training.  My time has been spent on the bike and in the pool giving my leg strains and nags time off of the hard pounding of running.  So I am heading to Hallucination 100 this weekend in Pinckney, Michigan with my crew member, Jeffrey Kamai (thanks Karrie). The quest for Badwater continues and I need to have an 100 mile finish on my resume to apply. Combined my "lack" of training and lessons from Kettle, this season has put me in a different mindset for Hallucination.  
Here are a list of thoughts that I have going into the race.
1.  I just want to finish under the 30 hour time limit.  I am NOT going to "race" this race.  Slow and steady here because a finish allows me to apply to Badwater next year.
2.  Having Jeffrey there as my crew is a HUGE difference.  Jeffrey knows how to treat me, what to expect, how to work around my emotions and respond to my needs.  It will be a great boost knowing someone will be there for me at the end of each 16.6 mile loop.  Plus, he is driving there and back!
3.  My nutrition and hydration have been dialed in the past year.  I understand how my body works much more this year and what it needs to operate under a variety of conditions.  
4.  The weekend revolves around a party type atmosphere.  It is Woodstock meets Ultra running.  This will be my first time at this race but I already have good vibes.
As Jeffrey and Heather say about my races, the first 50 is usually physical and the back 50 are mental.  It looks like this race might be first 10 physical and the back 90 mental!
As I taper into race week, I am not worried about the training I missed or trying to cram in any workout.  I want to be at the start line as healthy as possible, race smart and finish.  
Something for you to remember when you head into your Fall races, 
It is better to be 10% UNDERtrained than 1% OVERtrained.