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: Easter and More...

Happy Easter! Did you do anything fun to celebrate? Search for eggs, or give/receive a basket?

Neither Dustin's nor my family is nearby, so we were on our own for the holiday. I did make Smitten Kitchen’s Baked Eggs with Spinach and Mushrooms…yum! We paired it with a big fruit salad mixed with peach pie filling…so good!

source

In fitness this past week, my mileage decreased by about 25% from last week, which is standard for the first week of the taper. I did squeeze in a few Pilates classes, but I focused on rest and running.

During the taper, the mileage will decrease dramatically, but the intensity should not. We still did some speed work during the taper, but just not for as long.

Monday: 8 miles with 3 miles at tempo pace. I mentioned this run in Monday’s post. It was a really good tempo workout for me- a bit of a confidence booster. It was tough, but I kept a challenging (for me) pace in the middle of the 8 miler.

Tuesday: Easy 7 mile run – my legs were sore from the previous day’s workout, so I took it nice and easy.

Wednesday: Pilates Pro class at Pilates Pro Works. I mentioned in this post that my 8 pack of classes at PPW was about to expire, so I have been going here quite a bit more than I normally would to use them up. Its a good class though, as my core was pretty sore afterwards (which is a great feeling) as well as my glutes and upper body. I am not sure if I will buy more classes at this studio or not- they are pricey, but I do really enjoy the Pilates classes and the location is super convenient to my office…However, I really want to consolidate my fitness classes, as clearly, I can’t keep track of the classes I have all over the city. I hate to see any of them go to waste! I love having a wide variety of options, but sometimes it gets to be too much to stay on top off. I think I will focus on The Barre studio this summer, with kettlebells and yoga as well, but not so many barre and Pilates studios at the same time.

*My friend Kelly told me that legally, studios can’t let your classes expire…if that’s true, then why do so many studios still have expiration dates on class packages? Any legal experts out there know the answer?

Thursday: 8 miles with 2 sets of 1600-800-800, with about 2 minutes easy jog in between. This workout felt harder, even though my paces weren’t any faster than the tempo pace on Monday! My legs probably were just tired. 

It seems like I have one really good workout in the beginning of the week, and then the second workout isn’t as strong….but maybe that's normal?

Friday: Pilates Pro class at Pilates Pro Works  I have usually been using Friday as a complete rest but I needed to squeeze in another class here, before its too close to the marathon.

Saturday: 15 mile long run. We’re tapering now.  This long run in the taper always gets me because it seems like it should feel really short since we did 22 last week! But 15 is still a long run. Next week will feel a lot shorter with only 10 miles on the schedule.

Sunday: easy 4 mile run with Matilda early in the morning, and a lovely hour long walk with Dustin and Matilda in the afternoon. We had such awesome Easter weather today in Minneapolis, so we really wanted to take advantage, so Matilda also benefits, with lots of exercise for her today!

What’s happening in Fitness Fashion?

Not exactly Fitness Fashion, but I purchased another pair of Brooks Ravennas, and I was happy to see that my favorite color scheme is still available! I feel like I might need to stock up on these, just in case they discontinue this color- it’s definitely my favorite so far. 

My previous pair had over 400 miles on them (I track this information closely!). They probably would still be okay for a few more weeks of running, but I didn't want to run Flying Pig on worn down shoes. So, I plan to wear the new pair for the Flying Pig Marathon in 14 days. Of course, I will run in them many times before the race…Even though I’ve been running in Brooks Ravennas for awhile now, I don’t want to make that rookie mistake of wearing new shoes on marathon day!

What’s happening in Fashion?

Remember that awesome necklace I purchased from Oia Jules on Etsy? 

It is definitely one of my favorites, but unfortunately, it broke on me! I was so sad.  So, I sent Oia Jules a message, and they offered to fix it for me, and pay for shipping! It only took about a week for me to get it back in tip-top shape. Yay!

What happened for YOU last week in Fitness, Fashion, and Fitness Fashion?? Try any new classes? Find any cute new fashion?

Please share!

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!