Tapering: cutting back on mileage and training intensity in the final weeks before a big race. Sounds easy, right? But it can kind of make you go crazy.
As it gets closer and closer to the marathon I feel like I should be running more, or at least maintaining my training from earlier weeks. From experience I know that tapering is SO important both mentally and physically, but whenever it comes time to taper, I want to resist. (Especially now that the weather is PERFECT for running). It’s tempting, but I know “slacking” on the taper (oxymoron) is not a smart move. This is the time for my body to rest and rebuild strength for race day. But cutting back on mileage does not mean cutting back on food. Some people think those two go hand in hand, but it’s important (for me, at least) to keep focus on nutrition and build a reserve of energy for the race. Enough about tapering, onto my workouts from this week…
Monday: 5 miles at 8:40 pace. All of my long run recovery tips worked! A walk, massage and serious stretching on Sunday made this run feel normal.
Tuesday: Hot Vinyasa Flow. There was only one other person at the 6 a.m. class so it felt like a private session.
Wednesday: 5 miles at about 8:30 pace. Not too sure of the pace but I just estimated based on total time.
Thursday: 4.5 miles about 8:30 pace. Woke up at 5:30 on the first day of my fall break to run with my dad before work. Totally worth it :)
Friday: Flow 2. Because I’m home this weekend I went to my studio in Tampa, which is not Baptiste. It was a substitute instructor and unfortunately the class felt more like beginner’s yoga than Flow 2. Oh well, still a nice break in my day.
Saturday: 12 miles. Honestly running for less than 2 hours felt “short” in comparison to last week. Crazy how marathon training skews your perception of distance…12 miles is long. If I had to use the word “perfect” to describe any run, this would be it. 65 degrees, watching the sunrise, my favorite route, awesome playlist, surrounded by other runners. Couldn’t have asked for a better morning. Oh- and I solidified my marathon outfit! (The pants at least).
Sunday: Rest/walk with my family/yoga. The weather has been beautiful so I hope I can convince my family to take the dog out for a walk along the water. Might want to take another yoga class to redeem Friday’s class, but I’ll probably decide last-minute.
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Happy Sunday! xo
Tapering does feel counter-intuitive, doesn’t it? But you know you’re doing what’s best for your body! You’re going to do great :) When’s the big race?
For my first half marathon I never tapered because it felt so wrong. Safe to say I learned my lesson!
You need taper! I got sick so it was easy to taper the week before my marathon since I wasn’t doing anyyyy exercise and just resting haha.
Oh no! Hope it cleared up before the race. I’m embracing the taper right now and enjoying sleeping in a bit :)