I hate comparing non running things to marathons and marathon training. It makes even less sense these days because I’m not running (like, at all).

The days leading up to the wedding are the opposite of the taper. Rather than spend less time on the wedding prep, I’m spending more. There’s calls, itineraries to tweak, appointments to make, vendors to confirm details and arrival times with, items to pick up from Costco and Smart & Final, etc. Granted, I’m not doing any of these things alone thanks to our amazing family, friends and Carmen, our wedding coordinator.

Still, like with an actual taper, I find I have more free time — mainly because I’m on vacation. Yesterday I spent a good chunk of the afternoon after I got my nails done (and messed up while trying to get lunch together) reading Junot Díaz’s new collection of stories, This Is How You Lose Her. There’s some irony there, I think. But damn, Díaz is an amazing writer. I stopped reading because I didn’t want to finish it all in one sitting. I felt like I should be doing something but things are checked off on our to-do list.

More similarities:

• Getting a massage on the Thursday before.
• Trying to eat well and get more rest.
• Staying off my feet and staying hydrated.
• Lots of hand sanitizer and other precautions to avoid catching a late summer cold.
• Getting my day-of clothes and food sorted out beforehand.
• Reading recaps for some inspiration, ideas and tips.
• Freaking out about the weather.
• Lots of prep and waiting around before the actual show begins.
• Thinking a lot about the music I want to listen to on the day-of.
• Rehearsal is like an expo, right?

Differences:

• I’ll be wearing a totally new outfit.
• I’ll have much better photos.
• No awful tanlines.

Okay, I need to run some errands and try and stay cool.