Monday, September 16, 2019

Taper - Yay or Nay?


How do YOU feel about Taper?

Dread it? Love it? Hate to love it?

Many runners dread the taper, fearing they will lose some of their fitness gains, endurance or speed by easing up on their training.

Myself? I'm a fan.


What's to love about the Taper? Lots of things!

A lot of runners enter the Taper exhausted and (often times) anxious. Not me. I welcome it with open arms!  Even if I don't feel as completely trained as I'd prefer, when Taper arrives I know there isn't adequate time to do more. For me, that's actually comforting.

The taper is that final period before a race, usually a BIG race, where most workouts are scaled back and a runner's mileage is reduced. Ideally, it's a period of modified rest and increased recovery, allowing one's muscles to arrive at the start line ready for action.

The length of taper can vary from runner to runner, and it usually depends on the distance of the designated race. For example, a 5K may not require much of a taper for a casual runner. An experienced elite runner, though, who has put in all kinds of intense speed work, may need a greater rest period. The same goes for a half marathon vs. a full marathon...usually the full marathon will demand a longer taper period (due to the increased distance from the training runs during that final peak month). Usually, after that peak month, the runner's body will be craving some focused rest and recovery time.

Personally, the Taper feels like a well-earned mini vacation to me. Not only is a time to ease up on the sweat equity, it's also an optimal time to concentrate on eating healthy and staying hydrated.

It's not a time for sitting idle, though. There still are some short runs, and maybe some medium-distanced ones as well. Long runs? That's going to depend on the individual runner, their race distance and what their particular race day goals are....but it may be in one's best interest to go conservative on "long" runs in the final 2-3 weeks leading up to a race.

The Taper is not a time for playing catch-up on missed miles or training runs that were cut short. It may not be an ideal time for continued speed work, either. If you have done the work, your body will be race day ready. A couple weeks of scaled back running should not result in any lost fitness.

Finally, the Taper is the perfect chance to look back at what you've accomplished. Tally up all those  miles run, review your training log, and congratulate yourself for all the hours you've sacrificed to get to the start line.

Anyways, those are my thoughts on the Taper. It doesn't have to be the perceived "calm before the storm." Instead, I like to think of it as the "prelude to the big dance." Glass half full, right?

What are your thoughts? Do you look forward to the Taper? Or does it bring on the start of race day anxiety?

I'm linking this with Kim and Zenaida for the Tuesday Topics Link-Up

**I'm also linking this with Debbie and Marc  for the Running Coaches' Corner

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24 comments:

  1. i like what you said about the taper feeling like a well earned mini vacation - that's the perfect way to describe it!

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    1. And don't you feel like we need it, after logging all those miles? ;-)

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  2. I've only run one half, so I'm not sure that what I do is a real taper, but I love it. For a 5k or 10k I do complete rest the day before the race. For the 10 miler and half that I did, I cut each run on race week short by a mile and took the day before off. What I've found is that running less than I want to run plus not running the day before...really makes me want to run so I spend my downtime daydreaming about the race and once race day gets here I have extra pep in my step.

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    1. You've definitely got the concept down ;-) Giving your body (as well as your mind) a little down time, so everything is fresh on race day, will serve you well ;-)

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  3. Yes! A well earned mini vacation! I love that!! Taper time freaked me out initally, but now I love and embrace it :)

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    1. It didn't make sense at first, but I did it anyways. Now, I look forward to it...every training cycle ;-)

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  4. I look forward to taper because I feel like it's the cherry on top. It's the time where I can cross my Ts and dot my Is when it comes to logistics but like you said, all the work has been done. I keep moving but keep it conservative for sure!

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    1. Absolutely! I know I have done all I can at that point, so it's pointless to stress over what I didn't do. The race day will happen regardless...why not hope for the best?

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  5. You are almost to your taper time! You have worked hard this season and it's going to pay off for you come MCM

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    1. Thank you, Deborah! You are always such an awesome cheerleader ;-) It's weird to think I"ll be in taper mode in just a few weeks...eek! But, I'm also excited for it!

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  6. I always looked forward to the taper time! In the beginning I didn't but now I do. Definitely my favorite time of marathon training.

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  7. I enjoy the taper. A well deserved rest! I don't really taper for a 5k, aside from avoiding tough runs in the last few days before the race. But full and half marathons definitely need a taper. I generally taper two weeks for a marathon and one for a half.

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  8. I love tapering, but I do start to get nervous! I used to really only taper for the marathon and rest a few days to a week (light exercise) before a half. but I think that will change once I can actually run properly again.

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    1. Well, we all have our own preferences, and we all have different things that work for us. Personally, I thoroughly LOVE the taper....I love running, but come taper time I take things easy with ZERO guilt ;-)

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  9. That's a great way to think about the taper! It's definitely a well-deserved rest!

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  10. I'm not an runner but I'm an advocate of slowing down so you can speed up. Sometimes that is needed to win the race. So, it makes since to me to taper.

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    1. Slowing down so you can speed up is a great way of putting it ;-)

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  11. Since my halfs are all racecations, I am usually still really busy during the taper. Since we have to board the dogs, it takes quite a bit of work to get everything ready for them -- AND me!

    Maybe that's why I do love tapers so much. :)

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    1. Knock wood, we have not needed to board Max yet....but I can appreciate how much work that would be.

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  12. I like the way you look at it as a well earned mini vacation :) By the time I get to taper I'm generally ready for it. And it gives me time to work out logistics for race day, clean my house, cook more, and things like that!

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