Where Did my Mojo Go?

Or is it taper madness?

It’s taper time in training for my 11th marathon. Up until this point, I’ve been extremely motivated in the process, going on all of my planned runs at the planned mileage. 

But now that taper is here, the wheels are falling off. I simply have lost my motivation to run. Is it burnout? Is it that I suddenly have more work than usual? Is it the mini heat wave we are experiencing in Virginia? Maybe it’s all of the above. 

I keep telling myself that the hay is in the barn. I have trained up to 20 miles. The fitness is there. 

If I take off for a run during taper when I don’t feel great, I’m truly setting myself up for injury. 

These are the lies I repeat in my mind. 

Other things that are happening in my life right now? I’ve started a new medication. I’m onboarding to a second job. There are lots of changes at my first job.

And I finally took the cat who adopted us to the vet. He’s FIV positive, we found out, but he’s also chipless. He’s officially ours! I couldn’t put off the vet visit any longer, I was dreading it because I was worried that a cat as well-mannered as he is would surely belong to someone. But when I discovered that he had worms, we had to take care of them. 

That vet visit took up most of my Tuesday, which is one of the only days I’ve had off this week. 

The trip to and from the vet was excruciating, as Nugget cried the entire time and tried desperately to either claw his way out of the carrier or toss himself and the carrier to the floor of the car. (I now know why they make hard-sided carriers.) He was still crying when I brought him through the door. That adventure set off my anxiety for the rest of the day!

But also on the agenda for Tuesday? I took my younger daughter to the local community college to pick up her cap and gown for college graduation. She’s doing a dual enrollment program and will graduate with her associate’s degree before getting her high school diploma! 

I’m not ready to have an empty nest. 

So is my loss of mojo really a lack of discipline, or am I just completely overwhelmed with life? Or is this simply a newer version of taper madness? 

I may never know. 

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Have you experienced taper madness? I’d love to hear about it!

As always, I hope you all are safe and healthy.