As I enter the first week of taper it’s time to bust out my taper rules I have come to know and love.
Tapering always sounds so great when you are in peak week and exhausted, but once the second week of taper rolls around I always start to go a bit crazy. These rules help to keep me sane, give me some things to think about and apply some nervous energy to, and actually serve a lot of purpose as well!
Sleep
This is the time to start getting extra sleep to let your body heal up from all the hard training you put it through. I am always tired during taper so this isn’t too hard for me, I love sleep! Make sure to use some of your newly found downtime for rest and sleep and not just catching up on everything you have put aside over the last 3 months.
Eat Well
Taper makes me HUNGRY. Your body is used to using a lot of calories, and as it heals itself it continues to use calories even though you are running less. It’s easy to keep eating a ton, and its not uncommon to gain a little weight during taper. I just try to keep my eating habits the same, maybe cut my portions slightly, but pay attention to the food I am putting in my body. I will have a couple Foodie Friday posts during this taper period to get into more specifics. The basic principle is healthy food will help to keep your healthy during taper!
Visualize
Start visualizing your race. See yourself crossing the finish line in your goal time. Imagine how you are going to feel during the race. Practice what you are going to tell yourself to get out of the rough patches. Get all of this taken care of so race week you are mentally prepared and can relax knowing you are ready!
Plan the Details
Get all your plans organized and together so you are not worrying about them come race week. Race week is for freaking out relaxing! Figure out when your travel plans are (if you are travelling), how you are getting to the airport, confirm with your hotel, get some restaurant recommendations, figure out the expo schedule and plan how you are getting to the start line. Try to get all the details panned out so you aren’t stressing as it gets closer.
Stay Healthy
Take your vitamins, wash your hands, avoid situations where you might catch a cold and carry around hand sanitizer! If you do get sick, do not panic, it is very common, but I do my very best to avoid getting sick as much as I can.
Running: Quantity vs. Quality
I have tapered very differently for a few marathons and have found what works best for me which is not an easy thing to do! During taper you are riding the fine line between doing too much and not enough, so you have to figure out what is right for you. I used to err on the side of “less is more” during taper, which I believe is true in some instances, but I also know for me keeping the quality is important.
The mistake I have made in the past is to cut out all intensity (or quality) runs along with the quantity. I typically cut my quantity down 20% from peak the first week (2 weeks pre-race), another 20% the next week (1 week pre-race) , and another 20% race week (not including the marathon) during race week. Keeping in some speed work, tempo or goal pace runs (if you have been doing them all along) is very important to keep the legs from getting stale.
On the same note, don’t try to “make up” for any training you might have missed or think you might have missed once your taper brain gets going. Now is not the time to dig yourself into a hole, get too tired, get injured or try new things. Now is the time to get your legs fresh!
As with everything in marathon training, finding what works for you is the key. Some people need less of a taper, some need more. Marathon training is constantly a learning process, even when you have done it a few times, and taper is no different.
What are your taper rules?
AHHH taper!
This is such a good set of rules… definitely will be borrowing in a few weeks time. I think I have always done too LITTLE during taper so I am experimenting this time. I will be switching to a two-week taper and not cutting down as much as I usually do.
In the past I think I’ve eaten too much as well, leaving me feeling heavy and sluggish. Things to work on!
awesome post! I just try not to go bonkers and eat an entire box of cookies.
I think this post was a long way of saying that exact thing
staying healthy – so important! it would be terrible to do all that work and then get sidelined with an annoying cold. i get ultra paranoid about germs. i bathe in hand sanitizer for 3 weeks!
I got a really bad cold the week before race week for CIM and I do NOT want that to happen again!
Sorry Aron, I couldn’t read past the picture of the pups on the couch. That. Is. Hilarious. Yup, take a cue from the dogs: Relax with us, Mom!!
I hate taper. I also hate cutting too much volume. I think I perform better on very short tapers.
I’ve tried to cut drinking out when tapering before but it really doesn’t work for me. I find a glass of wine at night helps me cut the anxiety and energy of taper crazy.
I am sure everyone in my life will hate me for these next 19 days.
The good thing is, taper means it’s ALMOST TIME FOR BOSTON.
I agree with all of those things. I also find myself just thinking non stop about running and the race. All i want to do it just run when I shouldn’t be. I have to think of extra things to “DO” just to fill my time…like read a book, see a movie, cook a new recipe, etc so I won’t be tempted to just go to the gym to do some cross training or weights or head out for a short run. Even an extra rest day here and there can be painful to those who aren’t used to taking them. I pretty much obsess about race day, logistics, restaurants and what I’m going to wear.
For those who wear ipods, taper would be a good time to make your marathon playlist as well. I’m envious of those of you heading to Boston! It’s gonna be a blast!
Taper is such a beast. Its so hard to cut out all the activity you’ve been doing for months. Good luck!
Great rules for tapering. Personally I just chill out and enjoy the runs during taper but it is weird when your “long” runs are only 8 miles. Such a mind game.
Eeeeek, I hate/love taper time. It’s so nice to give your body the rest that it so desperately needs, but I always end up getting caught up in the mental aspect and psyching myself out. I agree with Emily, I do better with a shorter taper
I also really need to work on holding myself back from eating the same volume of food as peak weeks. I have definitely gained weight during taper time, Ooops!
I like a very gradual and short taper, although I don’t have much experience with tapering. I’ve only done one marathon so Boston makes two and I really hope however I taper, it’s the right way. Guess I’ll take a few notes on your tips and tricks.
I have only experienced taper once for cross country and I hated it. I just wanted to run and it seemed like taper just cut out too much of running. I guess it is different for everyone though. Mentally, tapering just messed with my head.
You have a well thought out taper plan – no wonder you are always so successful. I think its a huge area of weakness for many runners, myself included.
sleep, sleep SLEEP. i’m struggling as to what i’ll do for taper this time around. but eating + sleeping are biggies. it’s funny how these rules are also the rules i’ll likely use after the marathon too
I can’t believe taper is here! We are getting so close…soon we can take the jacket out of the bag
such great advice. i’m still trying to figure out my ‘best’ taper, it’s so difficult. here’s to hoping taper madness stays away the next few weeks for you!
My taper rules are pretty much the same as yours! One of my favorite taper workouts (for any race distance, really!) is 8-10 X 200M on the track. At, like, 1500 pace. It’s a fun burst of intensity without tiring you out. Kind of like a longer version of strides.
Always a great confidence booster for me!
This is great information. I agree about keeping the legs sharp. I’ve completely let my intensity go during taper and when I showed up to the start line, my legs forgot to race. Never again!
Your a smart cookie