Tapering? For surgery?

I was a little surprised when my phone showed that it was the hospital calling on Tuesday afternoon. My pre-surgery screening was already scheduled for Thursday, so maybe it was to move my appointment time? No, it was to confirm that my surgery will happen on Thursday, 8 February. Short taper.

I found myself counting how many runs that would leave – six counting today, including a Sunday long run. Wednesday will end up being a shakeout, so to speak – the last run before surgery and a minimum 2-3 week recovery. Recovery will look like a lot of rest initially, followed by walking for awhile before I get to try run/walk intervals after my post-surgery follow up.

As I listened to the instructions from the friendly voice from the clinic on the phone, the details started to shape themselves like a typical taper and race day prep.

I am first on the schedule for next Thursday, so that means an early arrival time at the hospital. Surprisingly (to me anyway), I can eat regular food until midnight the night before. I hadn’t thought about carb loading as part of surgery prep, but it turns out that it’s a thing. Carb loading leads enhanced recovery protocols and has been shown to reduce hospital stays and mitigate surgical complications.

From one of my friends who is also a doctor, “Wound healing is a catabolic state – so carbs and protein!” Time to think more about what my meal planning looks like for next week.

I’ve been upping my mileage recently, testing my legs at distances that used to feel easy. The rest of this week will be coming down off that peak. Today I ran an easy 30 minutes at a steady pace with low, rolling hills. Tomorrow will be more of the same. Saturday, tempo run. Sunday, long run. I have my fingers crossed for warmer weather so I can take that run outside instead of to my usual treadmill at the gym in my building.

And just like the week pre-race, my nerves are starting to kick in. Have I done enough prep, do I understand the course (surgery)? I’m thinking back to 10 years ago when my BFF convinced me to run my first half – it was an unknown challenge that led to my current habit. I learned a lot about myself from that first race, and I continue to learn as my running goals change over time. I am sure this cancer journey will be the same.

So for now, I’m doing what I know to prepare and hopefully avoid the ‘taper crazies’ — rest, carb load, have a plan, and relax. Trust the process.