It’s finally here. The taper for my last three events for Lead Challenge—The Leadville 100 Mountain Bike, The Leadville 10k Run and the Leadville 100 Run.

Tapering.

The magical final stretch of training where you dial things back to rest, recover, and prime your body for race day. On TrainingPeaks, where I plan my workouts for myself and my athletes, it looks amazing — fewer miles, more rest, and fresh legs. But in reality? For many athletes, myself included, it’s a mental minefield.

It’s supposed to be the easy day.

No alarm. No watch beeping at you. No pain cave, no elevation gain. Just... rest. But instead of feeling relief, your brain is loud. Restless. Crawling with what-ifs and should-haves.

If that sounds familiar, you’re not broken. You’re just an athlete with a very human brain, one that’s learned to equate movement with worth, control, and stability.

Optimism is the belief that challenges can be faced, that things can get better, and that we have the capacity to grow, adapt, or find meaning, even when things are hard. It’s not about ignoring pain or fear, but about holding onto hope while making space for reality. Optimism is key ingredient in building resilience – that and emotional regulation and a supportive environment.

There it is.

It’s about holding on to hope…