Taper me up baby!

Sauve

Newbie marathon runner gearing up for Dublin.
This tapering craic that everyone's getting excited about...how do ye approach it? Apart from the running bit, I have that down.
I've asked a few people and read up a bit, but other than sleeping heaps, getting mentally prepared, eating well and minding myself, should I do anything specific?
Any words of wisdom?

Cabaal

- Don't eat a load of junk!
- Get in some easy short runs in the time coming up to the marathon, 3-4miles

Try not to climb the walls and go crazy from lack of running,

ecoli

Few points on the taper

- Don't reduce mileage too much too early (Normally would say on 3 week taper 80%, 65% 50% roughly

- Keep same intensity as previously just decrease amount of volume

- Fuel don't gorge when it comes to nutrition. Don't get adventurous and stick to what you know

- No need for fitness test's to make sure you haven't lost fitness

- Don't do anything out of the ordinary (take up trampolining or the likes)

- Use extra time you have from not training to earn brownie points at home so that there won't be a flat out refusal the next time you propose training for a marathon

- Afternoon/ Post work naps if you can

- Dress rehearsal the week of the marathon - Go through the same routine you would for race day, from breakfast to wearing the same gear, to trying to run at same time, then run 2-3 miles @ MP. This will just take the nervous edge off and decrease chances of haring off like a duracell bunny on coke on the day of the marathon.

adrian522

ecoli wrote: »

This will just take the nervous edge off and decrease chances of haring off like a duracell bunny on coke on the day of the marathon.

PVincent

Resist the urge to spend money on new running gear or useless stuff. Apparently many have burnt a hole in the credit card during tapering

Sauve

PVincent wrote: »

Resist the urge to spend money on new running gear or useless stuff. Apparently many have burnt a hole in the credit card during tapering

I'm already on the verge of bankrupcy with my pile of trainers and shiny shorts and flashy armbands and snazzy headbands and and and.... thanks for the warning

Bulmers74

ecoli wrote: »

Few points on the taper

- Don't reduce mileage too much too early (Normally would say on 3 week taper 80%, 65% 50% roughly.

As an example would that mean if you peaked at say 100 miles this week that the last 3 weeks should roughly be 80, 52 & 26?

ecoli

Bulmers74 wrote: »

As an example would that mean if you peaked at say 100 miles this week that the last 3 weeks should roughly be 80, 52 & 26?

Sorry those percentages should be in relation to your peak mileage rather than the previous weeks (i.e for a 100 mpw peak would be 80, 65, 50 roughly)

carlton36

Be careful about what you read on the internet

Otherwise, you'll inevitably find marathon training plans, articles and opinions telling you what you should have done in the previous 12+ weeks in order to prepare yourself properly for the big day. You may find yourself focusing on the articles that include the workouts and mileage that you haven't done, and will result in you feeling under prepared or worse still trying to vary from your taper plan.

Instead, do think back on all the positive things you have achieved in your training and your strong sessions, race results and hopefully PB's. Think positive and trust the plan that has brought you this far, focus on the advice telling you what you should and should not do on the day of the race.

Sauve

That's excellent advice, thank you
My mental state always affects any race or training session I do, and this being my first marathon I'm on the back foot with regards to knowing what's coming. (Some tell me that's a good thing!)

Visualisation and thinking through races as well as having a couple of 'trigger words' have always helped me out, so I'll be on the lookout for articles that tell me how deadly I am :pac:

adrian522

ecoli wrote: »

Sorry those percentages should be in relation to your peak mileage rather than the previous weeks (i.e for a 100 mpw peak would be 80, 65, 50 roughly)

Interesting, I would have thought they would relate to the previous week. My peak week would have been back before the race series half, September 8th to 14th.

hillsiderunner

PVincent wrote: »

Resist the urge to spend money on new running gear or useless stuff. Apparently many have burnt a hole in the credit card during tapering

Some of us have already done that in week -4 after being pre-tapered with injury!