tapering down

Two weeks ago, I did my last long run before the marathon – over 20 miles. This past Friday, LeAnne did her last long run – 21 miles.

Now, we taper. This basically means that our mileage decreases each week until our marathon on October 19th in Columbus, OH.

I wonder if, in life, we need to look at each big event like a marathon and plan our schedules leading up to each event so that we taper down to the big event. What if, leading up to Easter, the schedule of pastors actually decreased the couple of weeks before instead of increasing like they typically do? What if, for a big pitch at our jobs, or before our kids’ baseball season begins, or before a big move, or before a season of busy-ness, we actually tapered our schedules so that we were ready for the big thing that comes next?

I wonder how that would change our effectiveness. I typically gear up towards an event. What would it be like to gear down toward an event?

What big thing is coming on the horizon and how can you find time to slow down a bit and taper before your big event?