Tapering Off

Tapering Off

April 8th, 2010 @ 10:55 am by Mrs. Trail Mix
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As much as I wish the title of this post was reflective of the wedding planning, alas, that is not the case. Wedding planning is still going strong. (Too strong. I want to quit my Gmail account, walk away from the computer and never plan another thing. EVER. But I digress…)

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So close I can taste it!

What is tapering off, however, is my running schedule. Now that the Boston Marathon is less than two weeks away (eek!) my mileage has severely decreased. And, my friends, it. is. glorious!

As much as I love to run and have enjoyed the training process for the marathon, it’s so nice not to have to go spend between one and three hours working out every day.

Tapering, for those of you who are interested, is a training technique widely approved by most track and field coaches that encourages the athlete to significantly reduce his or her work effort, mileage and training time for about one to three weeks before the race, depending on the distance. For a shorter race, such as a 5k or 10k, a week to 10 days is usually standard tapering while for a full or half-marathon, the taper can be more like two or three weeks.

I personally always have a little bit of mental trouble with tapering, because it feels counter-intuitive. How is running/working out less going to help me run more on race day? I’m used to pushing myself at a certain level and have to force myself to back down and hold back a bit, which is frustrating. I always get nervous that I’m tapering too much and will find myself weak and out of shape for the race. And then race day comes and the adrenaline kicks in and thus far, my tapering has been successful. I was able to far exceed my time expectations for both of the two marathons that I’ve run.

Tapering does work, although it’s often a difficult concept to fully come to terms with. However, at this point, I’m not complaining because with all the wedding craziness going on in my life, it’s a bit of a relief to cut down my hours of running.

Have you heard of tapering before? Anyone else use this technique before a race?

Tags: albany, fitness |

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15 Responses to “Tapering Off”

Member

farmersdaughter (message) 1,675 posts, Bumble bee

I ran my first marathon last fall, and felt the same way about tapering - I just felt like it was an excuse for laziness! I was glad I did though - the weeks before were stressful enough because of nerves (and traveling to NYC), and I think my lower physical workload helped my muscles and joints to be more rested and prepared to take on 26.2 miles of pounding.

Good luck in Boston - I hope the weather holds out for you!

4/8/10 @ 11:02 am (reply)

Bee

Miss Hamster (message) 4,046 posts, Honey bee

Very admirable - I just signed up for a 5K and I need to work up my endurance before even thinking about tapering!

4/8/10 @ 11:04 am (reply)

Guest

shaylin1001

Good Luck on race day!
I’ll be cheering for you from the South End…(Sadly, Patriot’s Day is not recognized by all businesses in Boston.)

4/8/10 @ 11:08 am (reply)

Member

ktisthatbees (message) 2,742 posts, Sugar bee

I am constantly amazed by people who can run more than 40 feet before they stumble to a halt gasping for air. Seriously?! I’m not out of shape, but running is like some evil sports demon for me. I guess you could say my whole life has been one big tapering event Kudos to you for marathon #3!!

4/8/10 @ 11:15 am (reply)

Member

beth1125 (message) 328 posts, Helper bee

yep! my dad ran Boston a few years ago and has run Chicago many times. I am always AMAZED by the mileage he would put in during the peak days.

4/8/10 @ 11:20 am (reply)

Guest

Alli

Okay, a post about running I can get behind! I always look at my programs and am like, okay, so, on race day, I’m supposed to run further AND faster than any of my training runs? How is that magic supposed to happen? But, it does. On race day, it does. I often repeat the mantra, “Trust the program.” I don’t know, it just helps. I have no doubt you’ll be amazing come Boston Marathon Day. Good Luck!

4/8/10 @ 11:20 am (reply)

Member

Moffy (message) 200 posts, Helper bee

I do! I’ve done 3 half marathons so far, and whenever I train, I taper for the last week or so. My long run mileage, I get up to 12, then the week before the race, I taper down to 7 and don’t do any speed work. I was like you at first, thinking it was counter-intuitive, but I’ve learned to use the time to kind of reflect on how far I’ve come and how well I’ve trained — and sleep in a little more! =) Good luck!! You’re awesome!

4/8/10 @ 11:35 am (reply)

Guest

Lane

Another Boston runner and bride-to-be! Woohoo! I will also be lacing up on the 19th and am planning a wedding for August 1.

I agree, tapering seems counterintuitive, but the abbreviated running schedule and extra rest is exactly what you need to recover for the race. The taper to me leaves me ancy to get out there and run, which is exactly how you need to feel on race day.

Best of luck in Beantown and have fun!

4/8/10 @ 11:52 am (reply)

Member

jordynrose (message) 6,351 posts, Bee Keeper

This post is really interesting, but I think it is totally applicable to wedding planning. Around the day of, the stress is mounting and people may need to back off a little bit. You’ve inspired me to stack my tasks in the months prior so I can ease into the day. Good luck on race day! You are going to kick butt!

4/8/10 @ 12:11 pm (reply)

10.

Member

alivoo01 (message) 2,622 posts, Sugar bee

Never heard of tapering, but it kind of makes sense. Recuperation time for the strained muscles? Good luck on your marathon - I applaud your 2-3 hours of training!

4/8/10 @ 12:41 pm (reply)

11.

Bee

Mrs. Quiche (message) 3,160 posts, Sugar bee

Good luck in Boston!!

4/8/10 @ 12:59 pm (reply)

12.

Member

lindsey316 (message) 90 posts, Worker bee

im doing a half on the 25th and i am starting to plan my tapering…like you, i feel that it will put me in worse shape than i already am…but that’s just the competitve side of me…i know that im in the best shape in my life so ill be fine but i still miss my runs! good luck with boston! amazing!!!

4/8/10 @ 1:56 pm (reply)

13.

Bee

Miss Starfish (message) 1,924 posts, Buzzing bee

I’m so impressed that you are doing the marathon, thats awesome!

4/8/10 @ 6:27 pm (reply)

14.

Member

el0624 (message) 205 posts, Helper bee

I was a swimmer through college, and tapering is definitely an essential part of training when a big competition is coming up. Your body already has the endurance, you just need to let your muscles rest and prepare for the big day!

4/9/10 @ 12:30 am (reply)

15.

Member

erins (message) 19 posts, Newbee

Good luck Miss Trail Mix and @Lane! I’m also a bride-to-be running Boston and completely LOVING the taper. Agree that it’s mentally challenging, but I’m amazed at how much more time I have to do other things when I’m not working out for hours everyday!

4/10/10 @ 12:06 pm (reply)