With 10 days to go until the US Half Marathon champs in Houston, I'm in full-on taper mode. Well, it's mostly because of the race coming up, but also partly due to the sub-zero temperature outside. That's not so fun to run in.
Out of all the aspects of training -- base fitness, intervals, tempo runs, nutrition, injury prevention, etc. -- the taper is the toughest to really hit successfully. Which is ironic, since (in theory, at least) it's the easiest part of the training calendar.
Why is it so tough? Because it's a balancing act between running with just enough intensity to stay racing fit, but resting just enough to feel fresh for race day. Too much intensity in your running will leave you tired for the race. Too much rest and you'll feel flat. And that balance completely varies from person to person -- some people respond best to more rest, some people to more running. Oh, and to make matters even better, you've got all the psychological games going through your head as the race approaches. As training becomes easier, taking up less time and mental energy, all of a sudden the brain goes into overdrive. You play through every race scenario in your head. You start to question every aspect of you training...have I done enough tempo runs? Were my long runs long enough? Did I do the right workouts? Should I have taken more recovery days? And worst of all: am I really in good enough shape to race?
So yeah, wading through the taper can be the most challenging piece on the training schedule.
To me, there are two important aspects to getting it right: physical and mental. First, the physical:
Know the types of training your body responds best to. Did you feel fresh and explosive during the times when you do were doing fast speed work? Or did you feel best during base training, doing lots of mileage and high-end aerobic runs? Or, maybe it was something in between, and tempo runs are your go-to workout. Whatever it is, during the taper I think it's best to focus on the type of training that leaves you feeling best. I mean, like, duh, but it deserves to be said. I see too many people who've been doing lots of mileage and aerobic runs all of a sudden cut their mileage and replace those runs with hard fast intervals...and then they wonder why they felt burnt out for the race. I've certainly fallen into that trap before.
For me personally, I'm the aerobic mileage guy. So most of what I'm going to be focused on is going to aerobic mileage. That's my bread and butter, that's what I feel best doing. Any intervals are going to be highly controlled, relaxed race-pace efforts. Obviously I'll be scaling back the overall mileage, but hopefully not too much.
On the mental side, reinforce positive self-talk. When you find yourself looking back at your training, focus on the workouts that went really well, not the workouts that you didn't do. When you find yourself looking forward to the race, visualize every aspect of it going well. Try not to think about the negative what-ifs.
As you scale back your training, your mind will often go into overdrive with all the extra pent-up energy. The key is to shut the negative stuff out and amplify the positive stuff. I find it also helps to stick with your routine. Have you run doubles a few days per week all through your training cycle? Then keep running doubles, just with fewer miles each time. Or replace one of the runs with a walk. Something, at least, to keep you on a regular workout schedule. You'll respond best to familiarity; doing new things is just going to throw you off.
I've also found that, on race weekend, it can actually be best to stop thinking about the race and instead focus on...well, just about anything else. Now, this is going to be different for everyone -- I know some people who run best when they're all amped to go -- but for me, especially in the longer races, if I get myself too psyched up to run then I'll actually have wasted energy that I could have used to run fast. I generally do best when I'm going into a race relaxed, chill, having fun, etc. In the immediate days leading up to the event, the less I'm obsessing about the race, the better.
So if I could sum up the key to a taper, it'd be this: know yourself. Know what kind of training leaves you feeling best, and replicate it. Know what kind of mindset gets you ready to go, and live it. Sure, it takes some trial-and-error, but that's part of the fun of training and racing.
Out of all the aspects of training -- base fitness, intervals, tempo runs, nutrition, injury prevention, etc. -- the taper is the toughest to really hit successfully. Which is ironic, since (in theory, at least) it's the easiest part of the training calendar.
Why is it so tough? Because it's a balancing act between running with just enough intensity to stay racing fit, but resting just enough to feel fresh for race day. Too much intensity in your running will leave you tired for the race. Too much rest and you'll feel flat. And that balance completely varies from person to person -- some people respond best to more rest, some people to more running. Oh, and to make matters even better, you've got all the psychological games going through your head as the race approaches. As training becomes easier, taking up less time and mental energy, all of a sudden the brain goes into overdrive. You play through every race scenario in your head. You start to question every aspect of you training...have I done enough tempo runs? Were my long runs long enough? Did I do the right workouts? Should I have taken more recovery days? And worst of all: am I really in good enough shape to race?
So yeah, wading through the taper can be the most challenging piece on the training schedule.
To me, there are two important aspects to getting it right: physical and mental. First, the physical:
Know the types of training your body responds best to. Did you feel fresh and explosive during the times when you do were doing fast speed work? Or did you feel best during base training, doing lots of mileage and high-end aerobic runs? Or, maybe it was something in between, and tempo runs are your go-to workout. Whatever it is, during the taper I think it's best to focus on the type of training that leaves you feeling best. I mean, like, duh, but it deserves to be said. I see too many people who've been doing lots of mileage and aerobic runs all of a sudden cut their mileage and replace those runs with hard fast intervals...and then they wonder why they felt burnt out for the race. I've certainly fallen into that trap before.
For me personally, I'm the aerobic mileage guy. So most of what I'm going to be focused on is going to aerobic mileage. That's my bread and butter, that's what I feel best doing. Any intervals are going to be highly controlled, relaxed race-pace efforts. Obviously I'll be scaling back the overall mileage, but hopefully not too much.
On the mental side, reinforce positive self-talk. When you find yourself looking back at your training, focus on the workouts that went really well, not the workouts that you didn't do. When you find yourself looking forward to the race, visualize every aspect of it going well. Try not to think about the negative what-ifs.
As you scale back your training, your mind will often go into overdrive with all the extra pent-up energy. The key is to shut the negative stuff out and amplify the positive stuff. I find it also helps to stick with your routine. Have you run doubles a few days per week all through your training cycle? Then keep running doubles, just with fewer miles each time. Or replace one of the runs with a walk. Something, at least, to keep you on a regular workout schedule. You'll respond best to familiarity; doing new things is just going to throw you off.
I've also found that, on race weekend, it can actually be best to stop thinking about the race and instead focus on...well, just about anything else. Now, this is going to be different for everyone -- I know some people who run best when they're all amped to go -- but for me, especially in the longer races, if I get myself too psyched up to run then I'll actually have wasted energy that I could have used to run fast. I generally do best when I'm going into a race relaxed, chill, having fun, etc. In the immediate days leading up to the event, the less I'm obsessing about the race, the better.
So if I could sum up the key to a taper, it'd be this: know yourself. Know what kind of training leaves you feeling best, and replicate it. Know what kind of mindset gets you ready to go, and live it. Sure, it takes some trial-and-error, but that's part of the fun of training and racing.
Comments
Post a Comment