The first thing that has potential to go terribly wrong is my sinuses! I've been dealing with horribly plugged ears for a little over a week now. I think it's allergy related but I'm not sure. Either way, my ears are full of pressure, I hear a constant "whirring" or "whistling" noise and other sounds are painful. My poor husband and kids. Every time one of them gets excited about something their voice level rises and is met with me saying, "Shhhhh... quieter!" but I think they're probably more annoyed that I'm constantly turning the TV volume down. I've missed church for 2 weeks now because the noise of too many people conversing at once and the music would drive me up an insane wall. Last night I woke up at some point and heard a strange humming sound that seemed to be drilling into the deepest parts of my brain. What is it? Please make it stop! I finally got out of bed and investigated. I checked all the bathrooms for fans running. Nope. I closed the slider door in case it was the humming of the hot tub. Nope. I closed my son's bedroom door in case it was his fan running. That helped a little. I finally ventured downstairs because I could still hear this horrible, annoying, drumming, whirring, sound. It made me think a tiny drummer was inside my head using my ear drums as his percussion instrument of choice. As I made my way downstairs I realized this was the source of the mysterious sound. I was greatly saddened to find it was the refrigerator humming. I considered for a moment simply unplugging the thing but knew that wasn't a practical option. No way I could move that heavy fridge to get at the plug! And, oh yeah, the food might go bad. Dismayed and defeated I drug my sorry butt back upstairs, put in my ear plugs and tried my best to ignore the little drummer still pounding away in my ears. Take some music lessons little drummer! Preferably not in anyone's ears. I plan on calling my doctor tomorrow. My worst fear is this evolves into a sinus infection in the days right before my race. I can easily run through plugged ears. I feel fine otherwise but a sinus infection would be an entirely different matter if it saw fit to include my head in the little drummers concert. Sinus headaches are no bueno!
Second, my right foot has decided it's cool to rub a blister into the side of my foot on any and every run, yes, even a measly 4 miler. Has it done this in past? No. I first noticed it at the end of my recent 50K. It wasn't painful and by next morning disappeared but it did have me a bit concerned that after running an extra 20 miles it would hurt. My last marathon the same thing happened. I decided to pony up and try some Altra shoes due to the extra toe box room they supply. Maybe my current Hokas are too narrow for my feet? Hard to believe considering many shoes are too wide for my narrow feet and they've worked fine for me for over a year now but hey, who knows? I took the Altras for a spin and they felt pretty good but, alas, when I got home I discovered the same spot had rubbed. I went for a run yesterday trying a thinner sock (I've been running in thick socks) but had to switch back to my thick socks by mile 7. I'm so thankful I was wise enough to bring the extra socks with me! Thinner socks were definitely not the answer! I'm not sure what to do at this point other than use a preemptive blister band-aid and maybe some KT tape over it to make sure it stays in place. Meanwhile, I've decided to stick with my Hokas for this race as I don't want to risk injury by transitioning to a zero drop shoe (the Altra) too quickly if they aren't going to solve the blister problem. I will probably have them at my last drop bag location in case I want a different shoe for the last few miles.
The last thing that I feel like could go wrong but is probably totally normal and perhaps actually good for me is my body has been tired of running. I felt great at my 50K in February. My marathon in March, even though taken at a snails training pace, was hard. My legs felt beat up. I walked a lot. I have rested a lot since that race. I'm fearful maybe too much but I remind myself it's better to come to a race a little under trained, on fresh legs, and injury free than over trained on tired and beat up legs. Right? Right or wrong that's the way it's playing out for me and so that's what I'm going to adhere to. What choice do I have at this point? It's 2 weeks until race day. Now is not the time to push for a few more long runs. In my heart I really do believe it's going to all work out for me but tell that to the taper madness going on in my brain right now. Ack!
This is why they call it taper madness, right? One goes a little mad as a big race, a big push, a big challenge approaches and the time to train up for it has passed. I've done what I can do. It is what it is. You get what you get and you don't throw a fit. When all else fails talk to yourself like you talk to a kid. Don't throw a fit! Instead, it's time to focus on the blessings.
I'm blessed with some great running friends and partners who have made the miles go by easier. I'm blessed with a supportive husband who is willing and able to pace me for my last few miles (and maybe a few middle miles). I'm blessed with great kids who are fine with losing mom for a few hours at a time while she trains. I'm blessed with the finances to get myself some good running shoes! I'm blessed to be a Skirt Sports Ambassador Captain which gets me even more cute running clothes to fuel my brain and energy on race day with fashion awesomeness! If you look good you feel good, right? I'm blessed to have found a great hydration carrying system in Orange mud. Love my Hydraquiver and never even notice I have it on. I'm blessed with a camper (I can sleep in my own bed this way) and a campsite to stay in the night before the race that's only 15 minutes from the start. Seriously, the campsites were all full when I originally inquired but they called with an opening after a cancellation. When your race starts at 5:00 a.m. every minute counts. That's a huge blessing! I'm blessed with no injuries this training cycle. I'm blessed with a great massage therapist to keep my muscles "bouncy" as she calls them. I'm blessed to live in a great running area with so many awesome races available to run. I'm blessed to live near a super awesome multi-use trail. I'm blessed to have a treadmill for those days when running outside isn't a viable option. I'm blessed to have friends who understand my crazy pursuits and friends who, while they may not understand my crazy, love and support me anyway. I'm blessed to have a church family that allows me to miss a Sunday here and there for a race. I'm blessed to have a loving Savior who placed this passion in my life for His purposes. Always be prepared for surprises with God! You never know where He'll place you in this world.
You know what? I'm feeling better after listing a few of the blessings in my life. There is power in recognizing the blessings around you. There is even more power in recognizing who the giver of the blessings is - Christ. So I'll end this with one of my favorite scriptures, especially as I strive to do something I never thought I'd be able to do. Perhaps you know this one? It's pretty popular and for good reason. Philippians 4:13 (NIV), "I can do all things through Christ who strengthens me." And for good measure let me throw in another one of my all time favorite verses, Jeremiah 17:7-8 (NIV), "But blessed is the one who trusts in the Lord, whose confidence is in him. They will be like a tree planted by the water that sends out its roots by the stream. It does not fear when heat comes; its leaves are always green. It has no worries in a year of drought and never fails to bear fruit." Wow, even as I write these verses I feel my fear abating, the taper madness easing and my heart relaxing in the promises of God. I've got this because He's got me. No matter what happens race day I can rest assured I'll have the best pacer beside me the entire time. When thirst or fatigue overtake me, when my mind and body want to quit, I can dig into God and refill. I am a tree, granted, in the case of a race, hopefully a weirdly mobile and moving tree, but a tree nonetheless that receives its strength, its courage, its perseverance from the Lord. God has placed this sport in my life for a reason and succeed or fail in a race, it doesn't matter, for that's not the end goal. My goal in this sport is to allow it to teach me to rely on Him, to point the way to Him, and to find my strength in Him. Run on, my friends, and find your strength in Him, whatever that may be or wherever it may lead. 
