Running at the Mouth
Running at the Mouth
By Margot Manning, intraining Podiatrist, Coach,
What to expect when you taper for your Race?
Tapering properly for your major race is a key strategy to help you run your best.
Do it correctly and your chance of success is pretty good. Making a mistake by not stopping your long runs and running too hard can ruin your race. And, just in case you are feeling super energised and looking to start a new garden project…. DON’T.
You need to enjoy your TAPER experience. There are highs and lows, and you are likely to both entertain and frustrate your friends and family. To help you through this week, read and enjoy the Taper Tips two of our intraining coaches shared with their running groups. Their words of wisdom are entertaining, speak the truth of taper, and may help ease some of those worries you might be feeling. You may even relate to ‘symptoms’ of tapering.
Finally… Enjoy your week, have a great race at Gold Coast and take confidence in all the training you have done.
Margot
P.S. Have you a taper story to share? I’d love to hear. Email me [email protected]
Matty Horston, coach, intraining Wilston Running Group
“MARANOIA”
For those of you targeting Gold Coast, the taper period is upon you. First of all, congratulations on getting to this point. You’ve done all the hard work, now is all about recovery and avoiding the dreaded…
<dun, dun, DUNNNN!!!>…MARA-NOIA!
There are so much temptation and distraction in the lead up to a major race day:
- “Am I getting sick?”
- “My knee is hurting, am I injured?”
- “I have a sniffle, do I have Ebola?”
- “These shoes seem old, maybe I should buy a new brand, style, and colour for race day”
- “Maybe just one, no…three more mid-week 20km runs at race pace plus will sharpen me up”
Right now all you need to do is just relax.
To be quite frank, there is little you can do to make yourself fitter between now and race day. However, there is much you can do to stuff it up by giving into superstition and worry. Take the time to ease off a bit, see to the niggles, and avoid like the plague any sneezing colleagues or family.
Just like sunlight is one of the great disinfectants, speaking out loud the worries in your head to another runner often exposes them for what they are…nonsense and worry.
In the next few weeks before you embark on an extra long run, self-diagnosing some new strain of virus, or some other folly, talk to your fellow runners (or Deek/God forbid, Paul or I). You’ll find the worst running demons in your head won’t survive beyond three seconds of articulated oxygen.
Sandi Canuto, coach, intraining Logan/Underwood Running Group
For those of you running the Gold Coast half or full as your A race, you’ve made it to taper….. CONGRATULATIONS
Now here’s what to expect…
It starts with sheer relief that your longest run is done ???? but…it’s not long till CRAZY comes knocking…
BAD, NAUGHTY, NASTY thoughts enter your head…
- I’m going to lose my fitness
- I’ll just do one extra run – only 5-10k
- ONLY 10k next weekend!!! NO WAY!!! I need to do at least 18k to stay ready for the marathon/half marathon
- I’m not running as much so I’ll do an extra weights session to keep muscle tone
- I’m not running as much so I’ll add in an extra swimming/boxing/cycle session
- …I’m losing my fitness ????
Here’s what you need to do…
STOP!!!! RESIST!!!! Stick to the program!!!
Taper:
- lets muscle glycogen stores rebuild to peak levels
- improves your immune system (so you don’t get a cold the day before)
- returns science things like metabolic enzymes, hormones, antioxidants to optimal levels
- repairs all the muscles that took a beating in your long runs – very important for your legs!!!
- lets your body rest
Remember:
Any benefits you get from running take 2-3 weeks so running (above the program) will NOT benefit your body until after the race. But all the wear and tear that happens to your body with extra k’s WILL DEFINITELY hit your body for the race….
You can’t improve your fitness now, but you can damage it.
RUN SMART…… MAKE TAPER COUNT!!!!