Weekly Recap: Tapering for the Outer Banks Marathon and the Brooks Heritage Line

Welcome to the final week of October! Can you believe it? This month has been so much fun, but it definitely flew by. 

Let me fill you in on what's happening at the Right Fits in Fitness and Fitness Fashion this past week.

Here's what's happening in fitness:

Monday: 6.75 miles in the morning with my friend Kelly and my dog Matilda. Then, [solidcore] MSP in the evening. I loved [solidcore] MSP so much, but honestly I was sore for three days! It kind of made the rest of the week a challenge for fitness.

Tuesday: I was still sore from [solidcore] MSP but I had a track workout on the schedule. It consisted of about 2 miles to warm-up, then 2 sets of 1600-800-800. There were 30 seconds of recovery between the 800's and one lap (400) between the sets. I did about 1.5 miles to cool-down for 8.5 miles total. This was a tough night for me. I struggled to hit my goal paces for this one. My legs were tired from the 60 mile week the week before and of course from the [solidcore] MSP workout. It's time to really focus on resting now during the taper.

Wednesday: 4 miles easy.

Thursday: 7 miles with 20 minutes of tempo pace, 1 hour kettlebell/strength class with Ericka at Balance Fitness. Great class!

Friday: complete rest day.

Saturday: 15 mile long run. After my long run, I checked out some of the speakers at the Minnesota Blogger's Conference. I learned some useful things, particularly on the technology side, which is not my strong suit. Stay tuned for some big changes on The Right Fits!

Sunday: easy 4 mile run with Matilda

Summary: 2 strength days, 1 rest day, and 6 days of running. My mileage decreased by about 25% from last week's 60 miles. I plan to decrease it another 25% this week to about 35 miles.  

It's definitely taper time now for the Outer Banks Marathon. As often happens during the taper, I caught a cold, which I consider the "curse of the taper." I've been taking it easy trying to fight it off but I'm hoping I'll be back to full strength by November 9th.

For more tips on the taper, check out this post.

Here's what's happening in fitness fashion:

All the real Brooks ambassadors have been blogging about this for months; I'm a little behind the curve.

Though I may not be an official Brooks ambassador, I think I am a Brooks ambassador at heart!
I mean, I have been running in Adrenalines and Ravennas for all 16 of my marathons...

I can't help but get excited about all the cool stuff Brooks is coming out with.

Hold onto your sports bras, ladies, there's some fun stuff coming your way from Brooks!

First of all, they have added shoes to their Nightlife line. These are basically one step down from glowing in the dark, with totally amped up reflectiveness. You might remember the Nightlife line from an event I attended last fall at Marathon Sports running store (read about it HERE).

At that time, the Nightlife line only included apparel. I'm really excited to see that it now includes shoes, especially since it includes my shoe of choice, the Ravennas!

Secondly, Brooks has launched this awesome Heritage Line of sneakers. I think this gold pair of the Brooks Vanguards are my favorites.

I also like the simple blue ones

I am definitely considering ordering a pair of these soon.  I love the throwback style and I have also read that these Heritage shoes each represent a piece of Brooks history. Each shoe has a story that comes with it, including the famous athletes who wore the shoes- so fun! I'm hoping that Brooks adds some apparel (fitness fashion!) to the Heritage line, as I am sure I would love it.

Let me know what you think of these new shoes from Brooks!

I hope you had a great week! Did you try anything new in fitness or fitness fashion? Did you check out the MN Bloggers Conference? What did you think?
Please share!

Fitting Remarks: The Taper

By Jess

It's taper time! Several midwestern marathons fall on October 7 this year: Chicago, Twin Cities, Steamtown, Milwaukee Lakefront marathon, and more! 

That means we're all tapering...

I found these 12 tips for tapering on "Complete Running"

1. No more long runs: Your final long run should be no less than 14 days before the marathon. If you’ve missed some of your scheduled long runs, it’s too late to make up for it now. Anything above 15 miles now will most likely hurt your performance on race day.
2. Cut back the mileage: Decrease your total weekly mileage by about 40 percent starting two weeks out. During race week, reduce your overall mileage by at least 60 percent. For example, a runner whose weekly training mileage peaked at 60 miles should run 36 miles the week before race week, and no more than 25 in race week. During the last four days before the marathon, don’t do any runs of more than three miles. If you’d rather take the last two days completely off, that’s OK too. Don’t worry about mileage during race week—you’ll get your fill on Sunday morning.
3. Maintain the intensity: Even though you are cutting back on your mileage, it’s important to maintain the intensity of these workouts. Run at close to marathon pace, so your body is accustomed to the effort level you will demand during the race.
4. Avoid the hills: Don’t run any hills during race week—it helps your legs recover more quickly. It’s just like with the mileage: you’ll get plenty of hills on race day.
5. Choose your weapons: Decide what clothes you will wear on race day. Pick comfortable shoes, socks, and running clothes that you’ve already worn on a long training run. DON’T wear anything new on marathon day, unless you want to have a graphic chafing story to tell your family about afterwards.
6. Gain a few—but not a lot: Since you are running less, pay close attention to your diet. It’s normal to gain a few pounds as your muscles stockpile the glycogen they will need during the race. But gaining more than five pounds will make you feel heavy and sluggish. Eat a bit less than usual, with well-balanced meals, and don’t start any fad diets.
   Remember, carbo loading doesn’t mean overloading. The night before the race, just eat a regular sized meal with a higher percentage of carbohydrates than usual. On race morning, eat a small portion of a bagel, banana, or oatmeal to top off your tank—but don’t load your stomach to the brim. Twenty-six miles is a long way to run with a stomach cramp.
7. Wake up early: If you’re not accustomed to running in the morning, try a couple of morning runs, so your body gets a taste of exercising at that time of day. Marathon start times are frequently at 7 a.m.—and if you’ve never run at that hour, it can be a bit of a shock. You might as well get it over with prior to race morning.
8. Eliminate extra activities: If you do any cross training activities, don’t do them during race week. Don’t do any unusual activities that might cause muscle soreness afterwards. This isn’t the time to catch up on housework or repair projects. If you have extra time on your hands, just get more rest or take a nap instead.
9. Cut your toe nails: Do it five or six days before the race. Trust me on this one.
10. Be paranoid: It’s fairly common for runners to get minor illnesses while tapering, so stay away from sick people. Wash your hands after touching anybody. Just make like Howard Hughes for a couple of weeks, and you’ll be assured of staying healthy.
11. Visualize success: The mental side of marathon running is extremely important. Beginning today, picture yourself running relaxed and strong, and having a great race. Repeat this scenario each day. Be confident in your ability to succeed!
12. Enjoy yourself: Yes, you should take the precautions above, but don’t get so overwhelmed with worry that you forget to enjoy the experience. Think of how far you’ve come in your training, and resolve to have a great time on race day.

Good luck to all of you on your taper!