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* A 'psychosis' is a 'loss of contact with reality', and while Taper Psychosis is an extremely minor form, the term does reflect the fact that the runner's belief does not match the reality of their situation. (This article is not intended to belittle the seriousness of mental illness, which can be devastating.)
* It is common for a runner to feel slow and lethargic while tapering. This seems to be worse if the taper reduces the training intensity, and this feeling could have some basis in reality if you are becoming detrained.
* The feeling of heavy or dead legs can be due to more [[Glycogen]] being stored in the [[Muscle|muscles]].
* Many new aches and pains occur during the taper period. It's not clear if these have been there all along and the normal training load has masked them, if these symptoms arise only under the lower training load, or more likely, the taper period allows for more time to worry about minor problems.
* Short runs seem unexpectedly tough. This is mostly because of the expectation that the run should be trivial, and it's not. After all if you normally run 10 miles, then a 5 mile run will be just as tough as the first half of the 10 miles. The expectation that the run will be 'over before I know it' can lead to the feeling that it is lasting forever.