I woke up this morning at 7:00AM to run before work. I surprised myself.

I often have grand designs at night about what I’m going to do in the morning before work. I’m going to run. I’m going to write. I’m just going to get up early and get a jump on the day. Then morning comes and I feel like a zombie and I hit snooze twelve times.

But this morning I actually had the half sleep thought that, since I want to do a run on Saturday, I shouldn’t do a run Friday. So, if I’m going to run – and I want and need to run – I need to do it now.

I got up, put on my running clothes and left my apartment, knowing that after a light jog for a block or two, I’d be in it.

I was correct. I ran four miles. Before work. Before coffee. I’m in training mode and it feels good.

But now my right foot is hurting like I might have plantar fasciitis.

I texted my friend Todd the other day and mentioned the Brooklyn Half and he texted back, “Beware of the taper tantrums.”

I’m supposed to be tapering now before the race. I only learned of this recently. Two weeks before the race, you should take it easy and run shorter distances and stop building like you have been. I ran eleven miles last Saturday, so, it’s time to take that down to prepare for the 19th.

Along with this, apparently, come the “taper tantrums.” It’s where you panic over your state of fitness. People also worry about injuries, injuries that may not be there.

As I said, with my anxiety, sometimes I don’t know if I have the thing or if I’m imagining I have the thing. I’ve had plantar fasciitis before and it’s an annoying lingering pain but it’s not that bad. But I’ve also never been in this shape before and I’ve never trained to run thirteen miles.

I missed my first half because of a dumb injury and I don’t want to do it again. Tomorrow, I’ll be hitting snooze and taking a rest day but Saturday I’ll run about six miles.

Man, I really hope I’m imagining this because I’ve trained well for this half marathon and I want to run it well.