Fit Tip Friday: The Magical Taper.

Here I am in the midst of taper madness for the Outer Banks Marathon.

The taper: you know, that magical place when you sit back and enjoy all this extra free time and relish in all your hard work over the past 18 weeks....

Wait, what? It doesn't feel magical to me!

In fact, I'd say the taper kind of sucks.

Why does the taper suck?

• You start second guessing all of your training.
• You worry about the race.
• Your body feels sluggish.
• You feel lazy.                                                                                                          
• You feel like you should be doing more.
• You catch a cold.
• Your muscles ache.
• You feel heavy.
• You are a little heavy- you gained a pound or two.

 Sound magical to you?

To clarify, the taper is the weeks before a key race where you cut back your mileage and let your muscles repair. Your body recovers from all the hard work you have been putting it through during training. You focus on replenishing all your glycogen stores in preparation for race day.

The general recommended taper for a marathon is 3 weeks, though some people do a 2 week taper.

For me, the taper isn't magical. Instead, it can suck a little, but I put together a few tips to help make the taper a little less "sucky" and maybe a little more "magical."

Don't overload. 

Yes, you can replenish your glycogen stores and carbo-load, but don't go crazy.  Keep it simple, keep it light, keep it easy to digest.

Don't cram. 

Now is not the time to make up for lost time. Don't try to cram in extra runs or miles. They will only hurt you at this point.

Don't stress about every ache or pain. 

Most of those phantom pains are part of the rejuvenation process that the is going through during the taper. Try to think of this as a good sign-rather than a pesky problem or cause for alarm. Your body is getting stronger during this healing process.

Finalize your race day outfit. 

Make a checklist for race day. Re-read this post for managing race morning. Finalize your race outfit, but don't forget- nothing new!

Mentally Prepare

Review your training log and pick out a few key runs where you felt strong. Focus on THOSE run and how great you felt! 

Pracice your mantras. 

"This is just me getting closer to my goals!"

Stay away from germs.

Become a little bit of a hypochondriac.  There's nothing wrong with Purell, Airborne or whatever other preventive measures you take to ensure you don't get a cold.

Stay busy.

Stay busy, but not with extra cross training or running, but with other activities. Grab a coffee with a friend, pick up a new book. Do some online shopping (one of my personal favorites). Keep your mind off running a bit.

Sleep.

MinneapolisRunning had a great post here about the importance of sleep and a good night's rest is even more critical leading up to race day.

Relax.  

You got this.

**I know that this post isn't all that timely since most of you are done with your fall marathons. But there are a few of us still counting down the days until our next marathon (9 days for me!!!)

There is a big group in the CBRC running the Philadelphia marathon November 23, so hopefully this post is helpful to them when they get into their "magical" taper time!

Weekly Recap: Peak Week of Marathon Training Ending with a Capitol Run!

This week was my peak week of marathon training for the Outer Banks Marathon. You know what else it was the peak week of? Fall colors in Minneapolis! Pictures cannot even capture how gorgeous the Twin Cities are right now. Every day that I drive down my street, I am seriously in awe of how pretty it all is.

These are just a few of the vibrant trees along the river on my long run yesterday. Stunning. This is EVERYWHERE in the Twin Cities right now.

So yes, being peak week of training, it was a full week of running!

Here's how things turned out at the Right Fits in Fitness this week:

Monday: 8 miles of running in the morning, C2 vinyasa yoga class after work at Corepower Yoga. Can you believe it? I actually made it to yoga. I took Nielle's class at the Edina studio and it was PACKED full, which also meant the already heated studio was even hotter than normal. I hadn't taken a hot yoga class in so long that I had to take a lot of breaks, but I still enjoyed the practice. She's such a great teacher.

Tuesday: Tuesday was my birthday and what better way to celebrate than with a track workout!

The workout was a tough one- about 2 miles to warm-up, 1600 at 5k pace, 400m recovery, 3 miles at tempo pace, 400m recovery, 1600 at 5k pace, and then 2 miles to cool-down for about 9.5 miles total. Whew! We celebrated afterwards with Pizza Luce. Happy birthday to me.

Wednesday: 7.5 miles easy with Matilda.

Thursday: 8 miles with 30 minutes at tempo pace (with Matilda- my tempo pace is still her "You call this running?" pace). After work, I took a 1-hour strength/kettlebells class with Ericka Darst at Balance Fitness.  Ericka taught the 10-week strength class I took over the summer at the Calhoun Beach Club, and now she has taken over Sarah's class at Balance. She is great! Seriously, come check out her class on Thursday nights at 6 pm. You will love it!

Friday: Complete rest day.

Saturday: 22 mile Capitol run! I actually went the wrong way around one of the lakes so I ended up with 22.75 miles. Here's how we did this- Dustin and I dropped a car off at the capitol in the morning and then came back to the Calhoun Beach Club. From there, we ran 22 miles of the Twin Cities course (separately of course- he's much faster than me!)

I took a quick selfie with THE bunny around mile 6 of my run.  I love this guy.

Though we were both running alone, we did have two very awesome friends who were on the course with Gatorade and water for us. Thank you both SO, SO much! It made the experience so much more enjoyable to have those support stops to look forward to. Even on a cooler day, the fluids made a huge difference. I did run with my fuel belt, but I filled up my bottles at the stops and took my GUs with the water they provided. More than anything, they provided a mental boost that really kept me going.

I am so grateful to have good running friends who will give up their Saturday morning to help out their friends. Thank you!

Dustin made it to the capitol over a 1/2 hour before me and was enjoying some chocolate milk and snacks that we left in a cooler in the car by the time I arrived.  Did I mention that Saturday was also our wedding anniversary? Six years! We celebrated the way most couples do...running 22 miles.

#anniversaryselfie 

Even though I ran alone, this was probably one of my best capitol runs ever. I wish I could pocket up the way that I felt yesterday and save it for race day.

Sunday: 5.5 easy miles with Matilda and Dustin. Gorgeous fall day.

In summary: SIXTY miles of running, 1 yoga class, 1 strength class, and 1 complete rest day. Feeling strong!

So what's happening in Fitness Fashion at the Right Fits?
I think I have finalized my marathon day outfit- woot, woot!

What I wore for my 22 miler yesterday worked perfectly, so I will wear the exact same thing on race day. I plan to wear these Oiselle roga shorts in "fast red", this Oiselle Scantron Tank top in turquoise, a trusty Serena sports bra by Moving Comfort, one of my many BIC bands, and my Brooks Ravennas.  Outer Banks will be pretty toasty, so I'm not worried about being cold. Fingers crossed that the temps drop a little bit, mmmkay?

That's it for the week from the Right Fits. I hope you had a wonderful week and enjoyed the "peak" colors outside!

How are the fall colors where you live? Did you do anything fun in fitness or fitness fashion this week? Please share!

Fit Tip Friday: Are Pedicures Okay For Runners?

A lot of you have completed your fall marathons (TCM, Chicago, Steamtown, Milwaukee, any others? Please tell me!)   If so, congrats!

Me? I'm still here trucking along with my training for the Outer Banks Marathon on November 9th.  In fact, this was my "peak" week of training. Training's going just fine but I'm going to be honest with you here, my feet have definitely looked better. Now, I have seen worse feet on runners, that's for sure. However, it's still 75 degrees in Nags Head, North Carolina so I might be wearing flip flops for that trip. My feet probably need a little TLC.

I'm trying to decide if I should get a pedicure now, or hold off until after the OBX marathon or is a pedicure both now and later a good idea?

The question is, are pedicures "safe" for runners during marathon training?

Guys- don't click away- this post is for you too.  Pedicures are definitely not just for the ladies! Almost all spas will give a man a pedicure. (Ivy Spa downtown is a luxurious treat). Your feet need some tender loving care just like the ladies' feet do!

From my research and experience, the answer is YES, pedicures are safe for runners.

In fact, there a lot of reason why you should get a pedicure when running a lot or training for a marathon:

It's a good opportunity to do some basic foot maintenance.

• A pedicure is the time to have a licensed professional check things out. Unless you're super flexible (which most runners are not) it’s hard to see all of your feet so its best to let someone have a look. 

• Even trimming your nails is easier if someone else is doing. There's less risk of cutting the nails wrong so that you set yourself up for future injury.

• You need to keep your toenails cut short ; you don't want them to be too long or they can poke holes in your socks, setting you up for future blisters and irritations.

Pedicures are a great idea, but there are some things you want to keep in mind when it comes to pedicures for runners.

Tips for Runner Pedicures 

• Do  not have your pedicurist remove the callused skin with a razor or emery board or pumice stone. Some people say its okay to get them scrubbed just a little bit, but never ever shaved (and in many states, this is illegal anyways) 

• Here’s the thing- calluses are a good thing; they are our foot's way of protecting itself by developing a layer of thickened (albeit, dead) skin. You need those calluses!

• Ask your pedicurist to instead spend extra time massaging your feet and calves.

At-Home Care...

There are things you can do at home to maintain foot health on your won 

• Keep your nails trimmed.

• Keep your feet moisturized.

• Learn from your feet! Your calluses can tell you something- are they on the outside of your toe? Maybe you’re rolling your foot. Are your toenails black? Everything I have read says that black toenails are caused by improperly fitted running shoes.

Be sure you have the RIGHT FIT for your FEET!

I could go on and on about finding the right fit in running shoe, but I'll just briefly mention it again. Its imperative that you have well-fitting running shoes. Head to your local running store (Mill CityRunning, Gear, Run N Fun are all awesome!) and get properly fitted.

Be sure to wear moisture wicking socks.

In summary...

Pedicures are a good idea during marathon training, and they are also a great idea AFTER a marathon (or any other big run) as a way to treat yourself!

Fit Tip Friday: Are You Ready to Train for a Marathon?

Last Friday's Fit Tip was How to Pick Your First (Or Next) Marathon, but how do you know when/if you're even ready to train for a marathon?

Notice that I didn't write are you ready to "do" a marathon, but rather whether you are ready to "train for a marathon." This is because the hardest part of a marathon is the training and that statement is coming from a girl who really loves the training.  Yet there are a lot of things to think about before you determine that you are ready to train for a marathon.

Of course, you don't have to train. Nope. You could "run" a marathon without training, but I wouldn't recommend it. Sure, it’s possible, but why? I would much rather train so that the experience is a positive one. You only have one "first" marathon experience, so I highly recommend that you train for it to make it a good one.

 

My first marathon finish line at TCM 2005 with my little sister Laurie

There's a big difference between finishing and running a marathon.  I’m not trying to be a snob about it. In fact, I’m sure some people think that my pace (around a 4 hour marathon) is not “running” either, but I do train for every marathon. In the end, it is all about what YOU want out of your first marathon. With that said, these are my tips for determining if you are ready to train!

Have you been running for at least a year?  

Some people say six months of consistent running is enough, but I would say it makes more sense to consistently run for a full year, with weekly mileage somewhere around 15-25 miles. This will get your body used to the pounding on the pavement and will hopefully allow you to work through any potential injuries, shoe problems, etc. before you make the commitment to train for a full marathon. This year of base building will give your body time to make some adjustments to prepare you for the training. It’s also a good idea that you vary your running terrain during this year, meaning that it shouldn't all be on the treadmill- try to make sure at least half of it is on pavement.

Do you have previous experience with races?

I had never run any half marathons before attempting my first full marathon, but I don’t think that was the smartest thing to do (I mean, just look back to see how that worked out)  You'll be better prepared for the marathon if you have run 1-2 half marathons first, or at least a handful of 10k's.  This experience will help you figure out if you actually even like training and racing before making such a huge commitment as a full marathon.  You will get a better sense of what’s involved with the training and race itself and to decide if you truly enjoy long distance running!

Do you have the time to train?

I could go on and on about how to fit in your training with working full time (it’s not always easy, and I don’t even have kids!) But really, you need to look at your personal life and determine if you can make the 18 week commitment to train (which is really how long you should train for to have a good first marathon). If your wife is about to have a baby, or you’re balancing school and work, or you know you have a few really big trips coming up, maybe now is not the time to register for a marathon. Some people don’t realize that marathon training is very time intensive. At times, it may even feel like a part-time job! It’s safe to assume whatever training schedule you follow will probably ask for at least 4-5 days a week and one of those days will involve hours of running (i.e. your long run).  You have to be realistic about your other responsibilities to determine if you would have the time to commit to the training. You will need to get family members on board before committing if you're going to need help with childcare and/or household responsibilities

Supporting my husband on one of his long runs. It's important to get the support
of your friends and/or family or a run club.

Can your lifestyle support it? 

Besides the time commitment, you will have to make other sacrifices to train. The long runs will take up a lot of time on either your Saturday and Sunday morning, and then there’s the recovery after the long runs. You won't be able to party hard the night before your long run, so if you're not ready to sacrifice your social calendar, you might not be ready to train for a marathon.

 

Don't worry...you can still have a beer or glass of wine when training...just don't go crazy on a Friday night!

How is your diet?

I’m the first to admit my diet isn’t perfect, but it’s relatively healthy (not a lot of processed food, plenty of fruits and vegetables). Unfortunately, you can’t expect to lose weight when you are training for a marathon, because you will need to eat. You’ll be hungry. A LOT.  You’ll need to eat, but you’ll need to eat well in order to train well. If your diet is pretty poor but you’re not ready to make some healthy changes, you may not be ready to train for a marathon.

Have you been cleared by your doctor?

Even if you don’t have a pre-existing medical conditions, you probably should get your primary care doctor's approval before beginning a marathon training program.

What are your reasons for training for a marathon?

Think about why you want to do it. Are you trying to prove something? Did someone bet you that you couldn’t? This isn’t necessarily bad, but I really think you need to want to run a marathon for YOU. You need to have the internal motivation. Do it for yourself.

Or..are you doing this because it's the “thing to do?”  I mean, it seems like all “runners” run marathons…right?  Nope. You don’t have to run one. You can still be a runner without ever training for a marathon.

Okay, so that’s a lot to consider…I hope I didn’t scare you off! I still think training for and completing a marathon is an amazing experience, one that I obviously enjoy enough to keep doing over and over again.

For something a little more brutally honest, check out THIS ARTICLE with 26 Reasons NOT to Run a Marathon from the Huffington Post!

Fitting Remarks: A Reflection on my Training and a Goal...

My 16^th marathon, the Flying Pig Marathon in Cincinnati, Ohio. is a week from today.

The other day my sister asked me about the course, and I told her that this marathon is really hilly. She said, “oh, so not a PR then?”

(FYI….runner lingo- "PR" is personal record. Some people call it a “PB” or personal best, but I call it a PR)

Back to my sister's comment- "not a PR." 

Well, why not? Why not a PR? Why is everyone so afraid of hills? 

I have trained really hard. I can still PR. I will still PR. 

This is your race. 
This is your opportunity. 
Trust your training

When I reflect back on my running journal, it seems as though my training went pretty well.  I mean, I only missed one long run when we were in Utah on a ski trip, but otherwise I successfully completed every other long run over the past 18 weeks.  There were no issues, no melt-downs, and no failed long run attempts.

I ran on hills. I killed hills.

I ran tempos. I ran track workouts.

I ran multiples times on a beach vacation in Turks & Caicos, when I was tempted to just lounge… 

I ran at high altitude in Park City, Utah. 

I ran A LOT on the treadmill during this terrible winter. 

I ran in temperatures well below zero.

I ran in the snow. I ran in the sleet.  I ran in the rain.

I was healthy. I didn’t suffer any injuries.  Sure, I went to see Dr. Crabtree at Uptown Natural Care a few times for some A.R.T. and Graston on my IT band, but fortunately I stayed on top of that issue throughout the training season. 

I foam rolled, I practiced yoga, I strength trained, I barre’d, I worked my core (remember the plank challenge?)

I am ready.

Of course, there are still 7 days between now and the marathon, and a lot can happen in 7 days.

I could get injured (hopefully unlikely), I could get sick (sometimes pretty likely during the taper. A lot of runners get sick during this time).

Then there’s marathon DAY- the weather could be terrible…HOT, rainy, windy. Or maybe it just won't be my day- I have had that happen many times in the past- I trained really hard, but my hard work wasn't reflected on race day. 

But no matter what happens on May 4^th, I can look back at my training and be proud of myself.

"It's not about having the courage to finish a marathon, it’s about having the courage to begin."

"Getting this far- just getting to the starting line- is a challenge in and of itself. The marathon is merely the reward."

I have to thank my friend Kelly for training with me- we did nearly all of our long runs together, and she gave me a lot of advice (combined with information from the McMillan Training Calculator- if you’re not using this for your training, you should start!) 

On her own, Kelly has run a 3:25 marathon- twenty minutes faster than my goal for next Sunday, so I feel as though she is running this race for me. I want to thank her, no matter what happens on May 4th.

Oh right...I mentioned my goal.

So here are my goals in the order of most awesome goal to the worst.  

If #1 doesn’t happen, then I’m hoping that #2 does.  If #2 doesn’t happen, then I’m hoping for #3, and so on and so forth.

#1. Run a 3:45

#2. Run a 3:4X – anything with a 3:4X something is just fine.

#3. Run a PR (my PR is 3:55)

#4. Don’t run worse than Kelly’s worst marathon (She has never gone over 4 hours. I can’t be her first…)

#5. Finish.

#6. Don’t die

Fingers crossed, my friends. I have had too many "bad" marathons. Its time for a good one.

There will come a time during the marathon when I have to choose how hard I am going to push myself.   How strong will I be when the going gets tough? (because yeah…it will get tough. It will get really uncomfortable...)

Will I be able to look at myself in the mirror on Sunday afternoon, and honestly answer the question, “Did I give it my all? Did I do my best?” I want to be able to say YES. I gave 100%.

Okay, okay, Jess, enough with the #sobrave  #inspirational  #motivational crap, right? 

It’s just a marathon. Millions of people run them every year. And 3:45 isn't even that impressive.

That’s right. It is JUST a race. It doesn’t represent who I am. My finish time doesn’t determine my value as a person…If I don’t achieve my goal, I will get over it. Life goes on.

Even so…that doesn’t make me want to achieve my goal any less!

P.S. There is no runner tracking at Flying Pig, so the fastest way for you to find out if I achieved my goal is for me to tell you, and I'm planning to post the results here first.  So, before I post to my personal Facebook or text anyone, or anything like that, I will post to the blog as to which of the goals was attained- 1, 2, 3, 4,5, or 6.  Be sure to check here first!

Fitting Remarks: Marathon Training Workouts

I have my fair share of experience with marathon training, but I am by no means an expert. I don’t have any certifications or qualifications, other than my own experience to pull from. Despite my lack of real credentials, I figured it was okay for me to share what I know about marathon workouts based on experience. Maybe some of it will be new to you, and hopefully helpful in some way!

Common Marathon Training Workouts

Tempo Workouts: A tempo pace is one that is comfortably hard. You can still talk to your running partner in short sentences, but you won’t be carrying on an in-depth long run conversation. Your tempo pace should be somewhere near your 10k race pace, a pace you could maintain for an hour before being completely spent. We usually start out the training season with tempo intervals of 6 min to 8 minutes. Eventually, we'll do longer tempo runs of 15, 20, and 25 minutes. The tempo interval pace is perhaps 10 seconds faster than the true tempo pace.

Kelly and I did a tempo workout today: 2 mile warmup, then 3 miles at tempo pace, and about 3 miles of cool down for 8 miles total. Great workout! (Yes, I wore my lucky Lolë hat again)

Long Run Pace: You should be running your long runs EASY. In fact, you should be running about 1 minute to a 1 minute 30 seconds slower than your goal marathon pace, even if it feels slow.

Goal Marathon Pace: This is pretty straight-forward. If I want to run a 3:45 marathon, my marathon goal pace is 8:35. We often incorporate marathon goal pace into longer weekday runs to get a feel for the pace.

5-4-3-2-1 Workout:  This is a common workout that we do with my running club that I also often do on the treadmill.  After a short warmup, do 5 minutes at your 5 mile race pace, then half that time to recover (2:30). Then do 4 minutes at your 4 mile race pace, with 2 minutes recovery; 3 minutes at 3 mile race pace, 1:30 recovery, 2 minutes at 2 mile race pace, 1 minute recovery, and then 1 minute at your 1 mile race pace, which should be pretty darn fast! Then cooldown.

Broken Miles: We did this workout as one of our “track” workouts the other day. After a few miles to warmup, you do two sets of 800’s (1/2 mile) with just a short 30 second break between each, and then a longer 2 minute break between each set. Do 4-5 of these. And don't forget a few miles to cool down!

Track Intervals:  Easiest when you have a track but we do them on the trails on occasion, we'll do something like: 800m-1200m-1600m-1600m-1200m-800m.  On the track jog a 400m between the intervals or the usual 2min if on the trails.  Ideally on something like this the goal is do the second set faster than the first so no starting out too fast.

Hill Workouts: Any repeats that you do on a hill will work for this….Try to kill the hill on the up, and then recover on the down. Or, maybe change it up by trying to keep a consistent tempo pace on the "up" as you have on the "down." My run club usually runs a 1/2 mile hill on Kenwood Parkway. I bet no matter where you live, you can find some sort of hill...now, just run it and repeat!

These are just a few of the different workouts that we do at my running club. I’m sure there are all kinds of variations on these out there, as well as many others. 

You should also make sure you’re never doing two workouts in a row- always run easy or not at all after a workout day. At the peak of our training, we never do more than 2 speed workouts a week, with all the othe miles at an easy pace. 

Cross Training Another reader asked me what I do for cross training. I always share my fitness in my weekly recaps, so you can read all about it there. But generally, my goal is to have at least one complete rest day, a barre class or Pilates class, yoga, and ideally, one more strength day (either a second barre class or kettlebells or something like that). There's just not enough time in the day for me to always fit it all in, but that's my weekly goal. 

I hope this helps you out if you're looking for some new workouts!

What are your go-to running workouts? How often do you cross train? 

Fitting Remarks: Tips for the Taper and Supporting My Favorite Runner

I survived my peak week of training for the Flying Pig Marathon. Now it's taper time! 

Basically, the idea is that I have done 16 hard weeks of training, and for the next three weeks, I will maintain that fitness, but let my legs recover and rebuild to feel strong on race day. Lots of people freak out a little bit in the taper, but I am trying to remember that now is the time to trust my training....

This week was my first 50 mile week this training season. When training for the Berlin marathon, I hit 60 miles during peak week, but that didn't seem to really work for me, as my performance at the Berlin marathon was not that great. So this season, I focused on resting more between workouts, rather than focusing on high mileage. Therefore, I only hit 50 miles this one time. I'm hoping that this method is the right fit for marathon success!

Here's how it went:

Monday: 7.75 easy miles in the morning, 1 hour barre class at Balanced Barre in the evening

Tuesday: 10 miles, "track" workout- 2 mile warmup, 5 miles hard with about 1 minute between each one, 2-3 mile cooldown.

Wednesday: 4 easy miles in the AM with Matilda

Thursday: 9 miles with 5 miles of hills at marathon pace with Kelly

Friday: Complete rest

Saturday: 22 miles- whew! A lot of this long run was in the pouring rain too....

Sunday: Complete rest. 

Ideally, I would have fit in some yoga today (Sunday), but I spent a bit chunk of the day being a supportive wife to my runner husband. 

Yes, I'm patting myself on the back for supporting my favorite runner on his long run.

He was traveling for work yesterday, so he missed the long run with the Calhoun Beach Running Club. Instead, he had to run his 22 miler today. He did a "capitol" run as his route. I waited at three different spots along the way with Gatorade, water, and GUs..and some encouraging words.

It was pretty relaxing for me. I just drank my coffee and read my book (I'm reading The Fault in Our Stars- really good!)

However, it was a tad more challenging for Dustin, whose back was really bothering him after sitting in conferences for the past three days...He made it though the run though, and now he can join me on the lovely taper before the marathon. He said he really appreciated my support.

Like I said, some runners go a little crazy during the taper, so I'm sharing these 12 tips for tapering that I found 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. 
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 during your taper runners!

Weekly Recap and the Calhoun Beach Running Club Capitol Run!

By Jess in Minneapolis

September is here, and fall is creeping up on us. I bet most of you are tapering now if you're doing a fall marathon. Cheers to the taper!

My first week of the taper panned out pretty well. Here are the details:

Monday: Yoga! Hot Power Fusion at Corepower Yoga at St. Louis Park with instructor Joseph. Felt amazing!

Tuesday: 8 am miles solo

Wednesday: Surly Furious Five Miler again at Theodore Wirth (i.e. trail run)

Thursday: 8.5 miles at a real live track! One of the run club members is a coach at a local high school, so we were able to access the track to do some legitimate speed work. Four one-mile repeats, with one lap (400m) in between, cooldown/warmup of about 2 miles

Friday: C2 at Corepower Yoga- i.e. Vinyasa Flow

Saturday: 15 miles (tag-along long run to the Capitol Run, see below)

Sunday: 4 easy miles with Matilda

Total: 40.5 miles, 2 yoga sessions, no complete rest days, but lots of rest

It’s amazing how much more time I had for yoga during the taper. I guess when you’re not trying to max out on running, you actually can take a breather every once and awhile!

I went from 60 miles last week to 40 this week. This means that my total mileage decreased by 30%, which is pretty standard for the taper. This week, I’ll probably only run 30 miles, or another 25% decrease, or 50% of my max week. 

I try to keep this tip in mind for the taper:

Cut back the mileage: Decrease your total weekly mileage by about 40% starting two weeks out. During race week, reduce your overall mileage by at least 60%. For example, a runner whose weekly training mileage peaked at 60 miles (like me!) 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’drather take the last two days completely off, that’s okay too. Don’t worry about mileage during race week- you’ll get your fill on Sunday morning!

Next week, (the week before Berlin), I’ll run easy 3-5 milers, but I am going to focus on sleep. I know that jet lag could be an issue for us, so I want to try to go into the traveling time well-rested.

2013 Capitol Run:

This past Saturday was the ever-popular Calhoun Beach Running Club Capitol Run. I wrote about it last year HERE, but if you missed that post, you may be wondering, "what is a Capitol Run?"

What's a Capitol Run???

A Capitol Run is an awesome, well-organized CBRC training run to the state capitol building! This run involves 20-22 miles of the Twin Cities Marathon course; FYI- the Twin Cities marathon ends at the capitol in St. Paul. It's one of my favorite marathon finishes so far! 

For the training run, runners are given the option to run 20 or 22, depending on their individual training.

The CBRC capitol run starts at the Calhoun Beach Club. The club's location around mile 4 of the course is truly ideal.  Runners had to sign up ahead of time on a google doc online. Volunteers dropped their vehicles off at the capitol around 6:15 am that day, and rides were coordinated back to the club so that everyone would have a ride home after the run as well. Planning such an event required a lot of time and logistical savviness! Yet thanks to the good people at the CBRC, everything went smoothly (again this year!)

Since I did my max long run last week, I only had 15 miles on the schedule, but TCM and Chicago marathoners had 20-22 on their schedules this weekend. Dustin had volunteered to provide a support stop at mile 7, so it worked perfectly for me to hop into the run there, and then take a “shortcut” to the Capitol.

The Capitol Run is a great opportunity for Twin Cities Marathon runners to get familiar with the course and the “hills” of Summit Avenue in St. Paul. Several other running groups in the Twin Cities also organize capitol runs this day as well, though theirs are slightly different. For example, Lifetime Fitness’s running group does an out-and-back course from the capitol and back. The Calhoun Beach Running Club runs from our club (on Lake Calhoun) to the Capitol. Our version does take a little extra planning, as everyone who makes it to the capitol needs a ride back afterwards. Fortunately, there were plenty of volunteers willing to drop their cars off early in the morning at the Capitol, and everything went smoothly (thanks in part to Dustin’s hard work planning the event!)

I felt a little like a “cheater” having only done 15 miles instead of 22, but I had my fair share of a tough long run the weekend before, and I was happy to have an easy 15 miler instead. Thirty runners participated in the CBRC Capitol Run this year, and it sounded like most everyone had a good day. The weather was so much better than last weekend, which definitely helped a ton!

I ran my “cheater” Capitol Run with a newer run club member, who was pretty diligent about keeping us on pace. She actually runs 8 min/miles on marathon day, but she is a strong advocate for the SLOW pace on the long runs. She believes that she recovers a lot faster, and is less likely to get injured if she is smart about keeping a relaxed pace on the long runs. Therefore, she started around 9:15 min/miles, eventually picked it up to 9 min/miles, and then finished strong around 8:45 min/miles. It felt great to me to finish feeling great, and I definitely didn’t need much time to recover. Perhaps there is some truth to her methodology!

Nice work runners! 

Now enjoy your taper.