The taper, unless you consider yourself “elite”, starts three to four weeks before the big day.
Why do we taper?
To give out bodies and minds a bit of time to recover.
Let’s face it the last few months will have been stressful enough: the cost of living, Christmas, bouts of bad weather (remember last year when we complained about training for October in tropical conditions). If nothing else we’ll always have the weather.
How do we taper? Well, the most important thing is to gradually reduce the weekly mileage, not by stopping altogether but just cutting back.
So, if your last long run was say 20 miles, next week it could be 15-16, the week before the marathon 10-13.
You won’t lose that fitness that’s built up over the last couple of months but if you don’t taper you can go into, what is for some, the biggest event of their running career, depleted.
After all this wants to be a memorable occasion, for the right reasons. When you stand on that start line, remember this is just another long Sunday run, with a number on, and a few more people than you will have run with before.
I have stood on many starts in London, you wouldn’t believe some of the horror stories of injuries and the like that are buzzing around. You have done all the hard work, now have the run of your life.
Here’s a little check list of do’s and don’ts…
- If possible, collect your number before Saturday, it’s like the pre-Christmas sales. Wednesday and Thursday are quieter. By all means look round Expo, but time yourself. It can be a very dehydrating atmosphere, take water and leave early.
- While we’re at the Expo don’t try anything new: clothing, hydration, miracle energy gels. Stick with what you know and trust.
- Have your accommodation plans and route to the start sorted, know how long it will take to reach Greenwich if you’re running London. Check any transport disputes that may affect the above.
- Just because you’re in London for the weekend, don’t spend the afternoon on the terraces, sightseeing or doing a show, doing a pub quiz till late. This is the last day of rest, don’t mess it up.
- Sort your kit out, pin the number on and pack a change of clothes in your kit bag for the finish.
- Have a really great day, enjoy the event in whatever way you can, and as a good friend of mine, Keith Anderson once said, when you’re given that goodie bag at the finish eat everything edible, you need to re-fuel pretty soon afterwards.
So from an old guy who’s been there, seen it, done it, and got the tee shirts. This is your day.
Oh by the way, let the family know you are going to be, jumpy, moody, a bit anal and generally not fun to be with until Sunday afternoon.
I know I was Image may be NSFW.
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