Let me start out by saying – nothing you
do in the week (actually two weeks) before the race will benefit you in terms
of aerobic fitness levels, speed, or strength.
Your last long run should be 2 weeks out. One of the hardest things about taper can
be learning to trust your training. However, cramming in an extra long run or logging
mega miles will only lead to tired and heavy legs or even worse… over training
and injuries! You have done all the hard
work (hopefully!), now is the time to let your body rest up and prepare for the
big day.
I am a big believer in training
plans. There are a million to choose
from but the right training plan, if followed, can set you up for a great
race. Sure there are things that we
cannot control—like the weather—but doing all the little things that we CAN
control make all the difference in the world.
If the race is on Sunday, run like your normally would Monday-Thursday with a day or two off.
Nothing crazy fast or out of the ordinary. Try 4-6 strides at the end of your run to
work on turnover. Take Friday completely
off as a rest day and use Saturday as a “shake out run” or an easy, easy 20-30 minutes
max before you tear it up on Sunday.
If the race is early, practice running
early. Set your alarm to get out the
door before work. Your body’s energy
levels fluctuate throughout the day depending on your sleep, stress, and
nutrition. If you always run in the
morning and you’ve signed up for a night race, make sure to get in a few night
runs to see how your body reacts and give it time to adjust.
Eat smart and stick to your regular
diet. Don’t try anything new—especially
race morning and the night before the race.
Avoid spicy foods, seafood or anything with heavy cream that may upset your
stomach. During your training, you
should have been practicing race nutrition.
The week of the race isn’t the time to experiment with new gels or different
pre-run meals. If you’re running a
destination race, call the hotel ahead of time to see what they offer for
breakfast. If not, bring your own meals
or stop by the local grocery store when you get to your destination.
Get some sleep!! And I’m not just talking about the night
before. Try to get to bed a little
earlier every night the week of the race.
Your body will thank you.
Drive the course. Some runners like to drive the course
beforehand, others do not. Knowing the
route can be beneficial if you are in new running territory and are nervous
about the event. You can scope out the finish line and all
the hills to mentally prepare yourself for what’s to come.
Develop your race day strategy. Have a plan for how you will tackle the
run. Do you have a goal time in
mind? Do you usually go out too
fast? Are you too conservative so you
always feel like you could have done better?
Almost as important as having a strategy is being able to adapt. What if something goes wrong? How will you recoup and finish the race? Maybe you’re having a bad day but never give
up. Take a look around at all the
runners, volunteers, and race supporters.
Everyone out there on the course has their own story to tell about their
training and struggles. Appreciate the
run and learn from your experiences.
There is always another race to redeem yourself.
Lay everything out the night
before. Pick out (and try on) your race
day outfit. Even better–wear your race
day outfit for a run. Don’t wear new
sneakers the day of the race. Make a
checklist of everything you will need: bib number, pins, socks, sneakers, watch,
Gu, Body Glide, etc. Plan your
breakfast. Set your alarm early enough
that you aren’t rushed. Expect traffic. Add in extra time because you know you will
want to wait in a porta potty line and a dynamic warm up before the start.
Try all these race week taper tips and
you’ll be arriving at the start line with fresh legs ready to rock a personal best! Good luck!
Blog post by Jen Skiba.
No comments:
Post a Comment