Running With Jack

I know for a lot of runners the 2-3 week tapering period before a longer event, such as a marathon, can be more stressful than the training itself. I know I tend to be the type that enjoys the training more than the event, at least with sub-ultra events. As my training peaks, so does my energy and enthusiasm, particularly on the days that I have my long run. Okay, I admit that physically I am usually ready for a break, and usually don’t have too much problem with cutting back during the first week. But somehow not doing a 20+ mile long run on the weekend seems to leave me feeling unfulfilled at the end of the week. And the sudden drop in mileage to half, then a third, of what I was running at my peak does not help.

I know this is just mental and that my body needs the rest before the big event. I also know that I won’t lose any fitness during the tapering period. But somehow it is still hard to convince myself of this as I suddenly find myself with so much more time on my hands.

What makes it especially hard for me is that I was a sedentary couch potato before I started running. It was a long drawn out fight to lose the 60+ pounds and I am still not done with the war. So when the first couple pounds start creeping back due to decreased activity I start freaking out. Again, this is mostly a mental thing, although I do end up having to adjust my diet accordingly – no more cake and cookies for awhile. I usually start noticing a little weight gain the second week of tapering, or somewhere around 5-6 days of reduced mileage. From there it takes a couple days to adjust the diet and at least stabilize the weight.

Usually the last week of tapering is the hardest - you know, those last 5-7 days before the race where you start questioning every facet of your training, lifestyle, sanity and reasons for getting up in the morning. The more I race the easier it gets, but I still have moments where I wonder if my training is adequate, question my strategy, and speculate how fast I should run the race. The latter intensifies as friends, blogger friends, and anyone else with an opinion offer their opinion on my goal for the race. Encouragement is great, I love it, I need it, I can’t get enough of it. But on the other side during the peak of tapering this can wreck havoc on an already high-strung tapering madman.

To help prevent this self-imposed tapering madness it is always a good idea to increase other activities. It is a great time to catch up things at work, around the house, and with friends. Cross-training is also a great way to keep the nerves in check, but moderation is the rule, especially the last week before the race. One should also try to avoid any form of emotional confrontation the week prior to a race. Bringing too much mental baggage with you to the start will almost always throw off your race. I think this is more of an issue with runners who are married or have a friend – you suddenly taper off, totally changing your schedule, which creates tremendous waves with your soul mate or spouse’s routine. During your training they could hardly get your attention, now they can’t figure out how to get rid of you so they can have a moment of peace. The solution is to warn them ahead of time and come up with some constructive suggestions for getting through this difficult time together ;-)

The most important thing that I have learned is to have plan for the race and to stick with it, no matter what goes through your mind during the tapering period. If you plan to run a marathon in a certain amount of time, e.g. 4 hours, don’t decide the week before the race to run it in 3:30 unless you have the training to back it up. If you have several fantastic long runs at this race pace, then knock yourself out, otherwise stick to the plan.