Taper Time

Ride Day(Wednesday)
time- 42 minutes
distance- 16mi

Swim Day (Thursday)
1 x 150- Warm-up
1 x 500- long and smooth

Run Day (Thursday)
distance- 2.3mi

These last two days are the real taper days. Today (Friday) and tomorrow are the relaxing, chill out, excuse to sit on the couch days. Well, there will probably a short, keep it loose, run on Saturday. Energy storage. Conservation. Plotting.
What seems to happen around my taper time, and I'd have to look back to see if this is as true as it feels, is my confidence roller coasters. I get out of the water after a short swim feeling like my stroke was slightly broken and wondering if I'll be mending it with tape during the race. My ride, because my traitorous brain let my body in on the fact that we're tapering now, is slow. Slower than I thought I wanted it to be, even if it wasn't. And what if then I can't figure it back out during the race? At which point I flash back to my last triathlon, in which it took me half the ride to get my head back in the game, and promise myself it won't happen again. But look at that run. That was a solid run. I'd like a performance like that again please. Sure hope the soreness I completely imagined in my right knee and foot doesn't show up Sunday. Even though I know it won't.
Now is the time where little aches make me fidget with non-existent injury nerves and I stare at my bike for minutes at a time fighting the urge to maybe adjust the seat just a tad or gee, maybe the aerobars could be a little more level because the days before a race are not the best time to screw with a set-up that's seen you through the miles of training. (Though I do want to get in to IT&B for a real bike fitting soon. It's been a while and I bet there is comfort and miliseconds of aeroness to be found, though probably not in that order.)
I have a race plan. And I think there will be sticking to it. Get through the swim quickly and efficiently, take the bike out hard, at the turn-around assess energy levels and try to bring it back harder, survive the run while kicking quick and embracing the pain. And don't forget to hydrate. And keep an eye out for Tri Cook and Kepa, the Tri-n-Hawaiian. Not so much to beat someone I interweb-know, but you never know when a random shout of encouragement will help you find that last half mph you've been looking for.
Looking forward to the Anniversary tri. Should be a good time.