Taper Madness!!!

I am running in the Marine Corps Marathon in six days.  This is the second time I'm doing this race (last time was in 2009), and this time I'm going to PR.  My current PR is 5:38:14, so I'm pretty confident I can do it.

I understand the logic of a taper, lower your weekly mileage to prepare you legs for the race.  I get it.  I know it works.  I will only run 7 miles this week, and then the 26.2 on Sunday.  I've done everything Hal Higdon has told me, and I'm ready...physically.  It is that mental thing that drives me nuts.  We've all heard the expression from Tom Fleming, "Success is 90% physical and 10% mental.  But never underestimate the power of that 10%." I use running to release the stress in my life, and when I decrease my mileage, I can't release the stress, and I go nuts!!  I'm losing sleep, I think I'm going to take an Ambien every single night until race day (yes, I actually have a prescription, I didn't buy them off the street, I swear!!) just so my mind will rest!!  My legs are resting, why can't my mind?!?!  I've been giving this some thought as to why we go crazy during the taper.  Maybe in a way the taper IS preparing me mentally for the race.  In the end it is a mental game (I prefer it call it a compromise) with your body.

Not only am I on the taper, I am also on fall break from school.  It's only today and tomorrow, so I decided to work half days both days so I can get out of the house.  It was nice seeing my work buddies today, I haven't seen them in about 6 weeks. School has taken over my life, and work has been put on the back burner.

So what I am going to do with my afternoon today?  I'm going to make a kick ass playlist for the marathon.  I have all my songs downloaded, I just need to get them on the iPod.  The hubby was supposed to run the marathon with me, and if he was still going to, I wouldn't need this playlist.  But since he is injured, he and our son will be cheering me on from different mile markers in the race.  Doing the marathon alone makes me super nervous since I've never done this distance by myself.  So even though I'm scared to death, and the taper is making me insane, I am also excited and giddy knowing by this time next week I'll be a two time marathon runner!!!!!

What do you guys do to make the taper tolerable?