You Gots To Taper

You’ve been dragging yourself out of bed every weekend all summer long, fighting off sleep, suffering through the summer heat, slogging out the mileage more and more each week for the past 12 or 16 weeks, slowly building up the confidence that you can cross your finish line. Here you are, 3 to 4 weeks out from your big race and now you’re supposed to ease back on the mileage? Wait, what? Yup, it’s true. Most seasoned marathon vets and the majority of training plans all talk about the seemingly constant running – tempo runs, progressive runs, fartleks, LSDs, as key components in your training, so it seems completely counter intuitive that the last few weeks of training before race day that you would actually run less. Without going deep into the science of it, essentially your body should be prepped aerobically enough to tackle the full 26.2 miles of your race. The last couple of weeks are meant for you to gather up your energy stores to finish the race strong. While your training wraps ups, take heed of these key points to get the most out of your taper.

TRAINING DAYS

REMEMBER: Tapering is not a pass to stop training completely! But rather ease off the super long mileage and focus on shorter runs to keep the legs snappy and fresh. Race day comes with all of the additional factors that your training doesn’t – the adrenaline and excitement you and your hundreds or thousands of run buds bring to the starting line; the competition of running against either people or the clock or yourself to meet your personal goal; the reserve tank of gas you miraculously find to finish those last 4 or 5 miles. All of this will help get you to the finish. Granted, in the time of COVID, the crowd and competition might just be in your head. Regardless, all of this still applies. This is why most training programs don’t have you running the full distance. Trust the process and stick to that training plan!

REST & RECOVERY

Spend the extra time of not running that long mileage on good recovery efforts. Make use of that free hour not running to address any nagging injuries and tightness. Go ahead and schedule time for a massage. Spend more time foam rolling and stretching out. While you’re at it, squeeze in some extra sleep. Overall keep those legs and body feeling happy! Get yourself feeling as tip top as possible when you toe the line.

GEAR UP

Now’s the time to grab what you need for your race. If the shoes you’ve been training in and are planning to race in are near end of life, now’s the time to pick up a fresh pair of the same model! With a few weeks out, you’ll have time to break in the new pair and you’ll be surprised how much more zip and comfort a new pair has compared to your worn out pair. Stock up on any shorts, compression sleeves, socks, hats, gels, chews, hydration, etc.  that you need or want to use on game day too! Make sure to try them out to make sure they don’t cause any issues on race day. Remember the golden rule of racing: never try anything new on race day!

FOOD AS FUEL

Ravenous for pizza and an extra helping of ice cream? Trust, I feel you! All your training has your body’s metabolism switched all the way up, which means, it’s easy to want to devour everything in sight though the mileage and workouts don’t necessarily warrant it. It’s easy to add on those extra pounds that you ran off during peak training. Stick to your proper portions and quality foods during your taper. About a week out from the big day, slowly add quality carbs to your diet and up your water intake. This will help to get your body fueled and hydrated for the race and prevent you from gorging on a huge meal the night before you throw down. Last thing you want is to feel lethargic, heavy and meh the morning of your race. Don’t let those cravings ruin the big picture! Save the gluttony for a foodie victory lap post race.

GET YOUR MIND RIGHT

Don’t forget the mental prep!  It’s arguably the most important component of tapering and training as a whole. Study the course and find out where those hills and struggle points might be. With most races going virtual, this should be pretty easy to do since you’ll be running it in your own neighborhood and have the opportunity to build your own course and train on it. There’s no excuse to not run part or all of the course so you’re well versed and aren’t surprised race morning. Finally, BELIEVE IN YOURSELF. You’ve trained hard for your race. Remember why you signed up in the first place. Don’t psyche yourself out! Besides there’s no turning back now! Get all those mantras and inspirational quotes engraved in your brain that will carry you throughout the race. Trust in your training and the work you’ve put in. You got this!

Tapering is just as important as those prime middle weeks of your training program. It’s the time to let your body recharge and to get your head in the game so you can put forth your best effort for the best results. You’ve made it this far. Now it’s time to cross that finish line and earn your bling. Good luck to everyone getting ready to rock these late summer races! I’ll see you at the finish.