Tapering Tips for 26.2 Success

It’s that time of year again when thousands of runners who have been putting in great efforts during the previous 3-4 months are entering taper time. Each weekend there are countless marathons taking place across the world ranging from huge ones like New York City to smaller local races with less than 1,000 runners. Regardless of the race size, the distance remains the same. 26.2 miles deserves a proper taper.

What is it? Tapering is the training phase right before a long distance event, such as a marathon, when a runner starts to cut back on his or her mileage. This reduced training phase gives runners a chance to rest, recover, and mentally prepare for their race.

For some people, taper is a welcome break from high mileage weeks. For others, the extra rest brings anxiety, phantom pains, negative thoughts, and over eating.  In order to help everyone with their upcoming taper, I reached out to a few of my favorite running coaches. These ladies have completed more than 150 marathons between them and are coaching and inspiring many other runners daily.

tapertips

1. Respect the taper! I believe the biggest thing to remember is to respect them. We are given a taper for a reason. Our bodies need a little time to rebuild from the relentless pounding we have been inflicting for the past 12-16 weeks. – Mary Baum, Food and Fun on the Run

2. A proper taper is actually not nearly as complicated as many runners make it out to be! A proper marathon taper should last two weeks and cut back one third of the mileage – so if you run 21 miles on day 1, you would then run 14 miles on day 8, and then race on day 15. – Laura Skladzinski, 50by25

3. You cannot get enough sleep. Resting is the single most important thing you can do during taper. Even if it’s putting your feet up after work instead of going to Happy Hour, that rest will add up by race day morning. – Abby Bales, Run Stronger Every Day

4. This is not the time for catch up. Regardless of the reason, if you missed a few runs during your training or even were sick for your last 20 mile long run, this is not the period to squeeze in extra runs. Follow your training plan and do not try to make up for lost time. Your legs need this time to recover before the marathon. – Mary Baum, Food and Fun on the Run

5. Resist the urge to try something new – stay away from new to you foods and new workouts, including those you will encounter at the marathon expo. – Gia Alvarez Run Gia Run

6. Do not run any of your runs faster than marathon pace during taper. Every run should feel ridiculously easy. Believe it or not, muscles grow and get stronger with proper rest. -Abby Bales, Run Stronger Every Day

7. Planning your nutrition carefully is at least half the battle, and it pays to do it properly.

8. If you’re traveling to the marathon, especially long distance flights, ensure you use a hydration supplement, like NUUN, in your water. You will need the electrolyte balance and  plain water may actually further dehydrate you. – Abby Bales, Run Stronger Every Day

9. Stretch/foam roll – Spend 10 minutes a day stretching your legs and upper body.  I like to do this before bed, it helps me wind down and sleep better. -Gia Alvarez Run Gia Run

10. Carry your race essentials on the plane. Be sure to pack your race essentials (shoes, socks, clothing) … things that cannot be replaced in your carry on.  In the event of lost luggage you don’t want to be stuck with brand new clothing or shoes. -Gia Alvarez Run Gia Run

11. Stay healthy with your eating.  Add in one extra serving of protein on days 3-5 leading up to the race, add one extra serving of simple carbohydrate on days 1-3 before your race.  -Gia Alvarez Run Gia Run

12.  Try to minimize extra stress in your life where you can. Training for a marathon for 12+ weeks puts a lot of stress on your body and your mind. While you are allowing your body to repair itself physically, don’t forget about mentally. While you may be tempted to fill up the time you were spending training with other activities, be sure to allow yourself some time to rest mentally, too so your mind is as strong as your body on race day. After all, so much of the marathon is mental! – Theodora Blanchfield Losing Weight in the City (newly minted running coach)

13. My number one tip for taper is TRUST the plan. You put in the work. All those long runs. All those sweaty miles. All those pieces of toast before a morning workout. The training is done, now your job is to rest your legs. Don’t question it. Trust yourself. You got this! – Monica Olivas Run Eat Repeat

Hopefully these tips will help you have a successful taper and cross the starting line of your marathon in a positive mindset!

Share Button
Follow:

Hartford Marathon Training: The Good & The Bad

Well, in less than 12 days I’ll run my next marathon. For some people, this is a regular weekend occurrence, ahem Laura. For others, like me, it is something that still makes me stop and reflect in amazement. I still remember when running a mile was an insurmountable feat.

IMG_2758

So clearly, the good part of last week’s training was my epic 20 miler with Charlie. Our 20 mile route started at the Gloucester Road Station and progressed across Battersea Bridge and through the small villages of Putney, Hammersmith, Barnes, Kew and finally ended in Richmond! We were along the Thames for most of the miles, enjoying views of local rowing teams out for Saturday morning practice. It brought back memories of high school rowing practices.

20 mile view

Our overall pace was around a 10:20, other than 4 quick stops for fuel and stretching. If I can keep this pace on race day, there may be a 4:40 marathon waiting for me on October 12th!

The bad, came during that same wonderful 20 miler. Charlie forgot to mention that we were going to spend 15 of the miles running on a gorgeous trail which is also very uneven and filled with loose rocks. I have no experience with trail running and therefore this was a very new experience for me which required a great deal of concentration and focus. Around mile 15, I took a nasty spill which resulted in a bruised hip, right palm and calf. Today, I have some lovely bruises to show for the stumble. On Saturday I certainly wasn’t going to let that get in my way. Charlie laughed that the first thing I did was check my watch to see if I’d killed my 4 year old Garmin.

IMG_2755

The second escapade was my need for a pit stop during the run. I was very thankful for the fact that our trail had a lovely, deep ditch running parallel and that supposedly, according to Charlie, London doesn’t have poison ivy. Let’s suffice it to say that Charlie is a brilliant, lovely lady for carrying a small roll of toilet paper in her Camelbak.  I learned a good lesson on Saturday and have already rolled some toilet paper up and put it in my small, outside Camelbak pocket.

So, now, let’s check out the rest of the week. I didn’t make it the goal of 43 miles but when you consider that my parents and I walked more than 10 miles during the two days in London with Bo, my legs definitely spent plenty of time moving this week.

Monday: 4 miles along Lake Geneva

Tuesday: unplanned rest day

Wednesday: 7 miles through the French countryside including a few hills and 2 sets of 2 mile repeats

Thursday: 4 miles of speed work through Old Geneva

Friday: rest day + 5 miles walking through London

Saturday: 20 miles with Charlie + 6 miles walking through London

Sunday: 3 miles walking through London

Grand total: 35 miles of running + 14 miles of walking for the week

This week’s goal is quite simple: sleep!

How about you? What are your plans for workouts this week? Are you in taper time or still training hard?

Share Button
Follow:

What I Wore Wednesday: Fall Running

Each Wednesday, I’ll start sharing with you either a glance inside my closet. This week, I thought it’d be fun to share some of the items that I’ll be wearing this Fall as I run in Geneva, London, Brussels, Paris, and New York City!

My mom was kind enough to help me move my Spring and Summer clothes into storage this weekend. Unlike New York City, I do not have a lovely walk in closet in Geneva. Instead, my small four foot closet is bursting at the seams and each dresser drawer is overflowing with running clothes. But, in anticipation of Switzerland’s winter running and skiing weather, I had a bit of a shopping spree today. Luckily our friends and family in New York are amazing, letting us ship things to their homes so we can bring them back in checked luggage.

These are a few of the things that found their way into my online shopping cart today from across the internet. While the New Balance shorts are clearly more of a Summer item I couldn’t help but share them, especially since they are on sale right now! If you’re in colder temperatures just pair them with compression socks and the Oiselle Lux top!

What I Wore Wednesday Running Gear

Oiselle Lux LayerSweaty Betty Zero Gravity Run TightsNew Balance Impact Thermal 1/2 ZipLululemon Run Inspire Crop IINew Balance Momentum Short Graphic Print (on sale!) – Nike Miler Long SleeveC9 by Champion Puffer Vest 

Last but not least, if you are on Spotify, follow my Marathon Playlist! It’s a fun mix of upbeat music ranging from today’s Top 40 songs to some 90s hits! The below is only a sampling but I’ll share the rest of the playlist in a few posts over the next few weeks! It’s a HUGE playlist and continues to grow daily as I star songs on the radio!

 

Share Button
Follow: