Over the years, I've had all sorts of feelings during the tapering process. As the body recovers, it seems as if it wants to do checkups on every part. In doing so, it's almost as if there's a check list that needs to be gone through. My check list started today with my left knee. Every so often, my left knee feels a little sore in the morning. This soreness almost always goes away after I go out for a bike or a run. I felt it the other day, and it went away. Today was a relatively easy day, with only a swim. I'd done a lot of walking at the beginning of the week, and thought that might have contributed to my knee hurting. So, I didn't walk (or run) today. I have any number of salves and sprays that I put on the knee. The pain was relatively localized, and didn't feel structural. All in all, I made it through the day and the knee pain seemed to be on the road to improving. I expect any number of aches and pains to hit me over the next few weeks.
My "favorite" niggle seems to localize in my low back/hip area. It's a muscle that likes to spasm within a week of a race. Its most famous race, for me, was Ironman Chattanooga, where I actually PR'd, despite still feeling some residual soreness as late as race day morning. Prior to Ironman Boulder this summer, both sides went into spasm. The first one went about a week before the race, and the other side went a few days before. Try as I may, I can't seem to keep these from happening. However, I have a feeling that they won't happen prior to Kona. Something just seems right as I ramp up, or from a tapering perspective, ramp down for the race.
Training for an ironman is associated with a ton of running, biking and swimming. With that training comes a constant flow of endorphins. Endorphins tend to mask pain. As I taper, my endorphin level will be lower than normal, and hence that may bring on my niggles. As the fatigue washes away, it's easy to become excited about the race. Ironically, I'm going to do my best to avoid adrenaline in any way, shape or form. Caffeine will not be in my diet until after Kona. I suppose that means I'll have to wait until the morning after the race to have a true Kona coffee!
As always, Ironman imitates life. We always have little aches and pains, and life's niggles come in many versions. Taking them in stride is what matters. I know that I'm more ready for this race than I've ever been for any race in my life. I think I'll just enjoy the niggles!
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