"Tapered and Shaved"

Back when I was a competitive swimmer, I owned a t-shirt that had a logo that said “Tapered and Shaved” on it. I would only wear that t-shirt in the week leading up to whatever big meet I had prepared for all season, usually regionals or state. It was a sign that all the hard work had been done and now I was in a state of letting my body recover enough to perform at its peak in the meet. Well, here I am four days from the “big” race. If I had the t-shirt, I would be wearing it now. I have put in many forty and fifty mile weeks of running. I have run fast at track and slow on my long runs. I have mostly watched what I ate. I have had good runs and bad runs. It now all comes down to Sunday. I can not control the weather or the condition of the course. I can only control my attitude and how I respond to the conditions around me. All of the physical preparation is done. It is now all mental. Any workout I do now will have no benefit until a week or two after the race (although it could have a detrimental effect if I overdo it). I know I can hit my target, I also know it is going to be hard at times. I think this is what makes it all worthwhile though. Another saying I hear often is “anything worth having is worth fighting for”. I will be fighting against doubts and insecurities and mistakes of past races. I will also be fighting against fatigue. Mostly I believe that on Sunday I will be well prepared and I will be fighting for my target and winning. After all, I am “tapered and shaved.”