Taper Time

"Setting a goal is not the main thing. It is deciding how you will go about achieving it and staying with that plan."  Tom Landry

Taper time. I have been looking forward to these weeks for awhile. Training during the school year can be tiring. The weather (the topic or subtopic of many of my posts this past month) has been difficult. But I am wiping that slate clean & focusing on my taper.

Some runners hate the taper.

I embrace it.

I have learned to trust it.

The mental aspect of a taper is as important as the physical. Last week, I squeezed in my 18 miler before my son’s hockey game and I ran 10 miles the day before once my youngest son was finished with his Nordic race.  It was as mentally taxing to plan my runs around my family’s schedule. This weekend worked well and the balance of runner & mother was achieved.

I enter this weekend with an open slate and only have 2 runs to fit in with the longest is 90 minutes. Whew!

Physically, the taper allows my body to absorb the miles and my hard work. I love race day when I feel fresh, no tweaks, and anxious to run.  The initial days of a taper, I will feel flat. Last Tuesday was that day. It took a lot of mental will power to stay present in my intervals and push through each one.

Most runners will stick to their training plan and mess up the taper. Stick with your plan. Decrease volume & maintain intensity. A mistake that is commonly made is “jogging” through your taper. Intensity needs to be maintained with tempo and intervals.

One week to race day. Can’t wait!