As I write this, my 22-mile long run is in the rear-view mirror and I’m a fairly new (and happy!) resident here in Taper Town. The name(s) of the game here are Confident and Cautious. I know the hay is in the barn and there’s no point to adding any now. We’re just going to coast it on in to race day. Here’s how I’ll be spending the 18 days (eek!) left until the Twin Cities Marathon:
Cut back on running. The super long stuff is in the bag. Now’s the time to let your body fully recover from the stress of the training cycle and rebuild glycogen stores. Overall, runs will be shorter and less intense. Fight the urge to make up for missed or inferior runs. Less is more.
Cut back on weight training too. Additional weight training at this stage won’t help your race, but it can use up valuable energy and increase risk of injury.
Sleep. A good 8 hours is the goal. Typically I’m good for 7 hours at night. During taper I may snag a cat nap too.
Hydrate. Alcohol doesn’t count. Sorry. But Zarbee’s does!
Eat well. This is not the time to diet or cut back on fat. Choose nutrient-dense foods. Gorging is not necessary either. Sigh.
Look at the race course. Drive it if possible. Are there lots of turns where you’ll need to focus on running tangents? Where are any hills? Bridges? Having your bearings on the race course helps a ton with the mental aspect of racing.
Plan a race strategy. Do I have a time goal? Will I pace evenly? Pick it up at the end? Run with a pace group? All that needs to be figured out before the race.
Put the packing list together. Buy last minute essentials now rather than planning to get them at the expo. Leave nothing to chance.
Iron out logistics. Travel plans. Hotel confirmation. Child- and pet care. Time I’ll attend the expo. How I’ll get to the starting line. Where I’ll reunite with friends/family post-race.
Embrace your inner sloth. The phrase “I can’t I’m tapering” may have already been uttered here. More than once.
How do you make the most of your taper time?
I’m linking up with Deb for the Wednesday word: Cautious. Join us!
I’m not quite in taper mode yet, but I’m going to take these words to heart! I’m running my first full on Oct 18th (Detroit Marathon), so I think I may be overly cautious in making sure that I get to the start line healthy. Funny though, I live in MN and hope to do TC next year! Good luck and enjoy the taper!
I’m bookmarking this to remember it come December! Great tips on taper! I wouldn’t have thought about cutting back on weight training, but your right at this point getting in that workout won’t help you but I just may hurt you!
No alcohol? Sigh…
Great tips. 5 days and I’ll be a new resident of Taper Town. I think it will be pretty easy not to run long, but those mid week race pace runs are going to be harder to cut. Especially now that the weather is cooling…
All great tips 😉 I am glad you put that in about strength training, I felt like maybe I would train legs for for four or five more weeks, then rest. Do you still do upper body work? or do you cut back there too?
Oh the taper, it’s a great time and a terrible time! But this list certainly gives some great ideas for busy work to keep your mind off things.
I’m so old and over it–I do everything wrong these days when it comes to tapering! But when I cared, this was all sage advice. Hope you’re enjoying the cutback! Are we the same weekend–Oct. 3/4?
Ummmmmmmmmmmmmm no racing here! 🙂
I love it! Welcome to taper town!
Great post! My mom is running her first full soon and I will be sure to share this with her!
Enjoy your taper time!! It’s definitely important to still be good to your body and not feel weird not running as much!
I assume you don’t cut out weight training altogether?
I really think that it makes me a stronger runner, but I do usually ease up a bit a couple of weeks before a big goal race. I always wonder just how much is the right amount!
How long do you taper for a half marathon? I still have so much to learn! Enjoy taper town!
Extra sleep is a must! Perfect time for Zarbees 🙂
One of the many things I love about taper time is the extra time I have for sleeping. Good thing getting some extra ZZZs usually pays off on rest day. 🙂
What a great feeling to reach the taper! Alcohol definitely doesn’t count as hydrating, but it may help with relaxing:)
I love the “inner sloth”! I’m not racing anything long enough to really warrant a taper this fall. Just an easy day 2 days before the race. In some ways I miss tapering, although I always tend to overeat and feel sluggish.
Enjoy your taper – you’ve earned it!
I’m pretty sure I’m not adhering to any of this sound advice….
My long run of what was suppose to be 22 yesterday fell short by several miles, which is deflating on an already fragile confidence meter, but I’m going to resist the urge to cram it in tomorrow. So I got one right. The rest? Beer and mac and cheese for dinner….yum!
These are great tips! I especially love the point about embracing your inner sloth 😉 I can imagine that after all that training it would be tough to chill out for a couple of weeks before the race! I hope all goes well for you 😀
You’ve got the recipe down!! Enjoy some good RnR and some healthy eats and sleep ♥
It’s going to be a FUN TCM to watch this year 🙂
I think that getting through marathon training is almost a bigger achievement than the actual race. To stay fit and healthy and motivated through the months is huge!
So excited for you!
I am so bad at tapering. I need to do better for NYC! Thanks for the reminders. I used to cut coffee and alcohol, but… well… now I just drink more water to balance 😉
I saw one of your comments on another blog, and had to come check out yours:)
Sounds like you have a pretty good taper plan! I think tapering is all about knowing your body, knowing what is too much, to little and what keeps it in best condition to recover and be at your peak come race day.
Good luck in your upcoming race!
Um, I’m really excited to use the “I can’t, I’m tapering!” Last long run for me this Sunday and then I’ll be a happy resident of taper town with you 🙂
I always think I’m going to accomplish so much during the taper but it rarely happens. Not running and running less makes me want to run more.
Sounds like a great plan and you know what you’re doing! Enjoy taper time!
A lot of people don’t like taper time, but I always enjoyed it. I liked sitting back at the end of tough training cycle and relaxing as I waited for the big day. Loved all of your tips!
Thank you for linking up!
I love the taper but I always think I’m coming down with a new illness or injury!
I love embracing the inner sloth and eating tons of good foods. Sometimes the taper can be great except when the crampy taper legs take over!