The Taper
If you’ve ran a marathon previously, you’ll know this feeling. If your first marathon is just coming up, don’t worry we’ve all been there. The Taper.
Not all athletes experience the same feelings, or combination of feelings, but it’s common to experience taper blues.
Even if you’ve done all the training, diligently racked up the miles, banked all of your long runs, and ticked all of the boxes in terms of your pacing, fueling, organisation and planning it is perfectly normal in the final few weeks before your big race to experience doubt, uncertainty, lethargy and panic!
Personally I go from being on cloud 9 excitedly checking the weather looking forward to race day to nervously doubting myself questioning if I’ve done all the work and thinking irrational thoughts. Maybe it’s best I don’t even race, go for a marathon later in the year…
If anything the longer you have been doing it and the more experienced you become, the more sensitive you are to the way you feel and think leading up to a big event. Every time you have a wobble just reassure yourself that you have completed a brilliant build up and simply need to trust the work you have done and then all you can do is your best on race day and stick to the plan.
Remember there is no right way to taper and everyone is different.
You don’t lose all the training benefits by doing less running the closer the marathon gets.
You won’t lose any of the fitness you have gained over the past few months by being sensible and doing less as the race draws closer.
So if you’re thinking of craming in some last minute miles think again. Let the hard work come out and remember it is perfectly normal to feel sluggish and lethargic when tapering. In the final weeks your training should be reducing and not increasing. Trust me you’ll feel fresher the closer you get to race day. Look forward to the race, feel excited, motivated, happy and ready to take on 26.2-miles with everything you’ve got!
When you have doubts (you will!) take time to look back at your training diaries at all the hard work you’ve put in and reassure yourself that you’re in control and the fitness is there.
I wanted to share this brilliant insight into Steve Jones’ diary from when he set a world best in Chicago.
Steve Jones Training Diary Leading into Chicago 1984 World Record
The below info was sourced from runnerslife.co.uk many years ago, which has since been replicated on Runners Tribe.
In his five weeks leading up to his 2hrs 08mins 05secs World Best run in Chicago in October 1984, Steve Jones clocked up weekly mileages of 100, 84, 71, 71 and 100. Here is a reprint from his training diary relating to the details of his final three weeks.
- Monday 1st October 1984:
- AM: 8 miles in the rain, Park City, Utah.
- PM: 8miles, a bit swifter than this morning. Pulse at 11.30am: 51. Finding that I am plodding but I can’t go any faster.
- Tuesday 2nd
- AM: 7miles including 4 x 5mins (90secs recovery)
- PM: 8miles steady, not too bad and relaxed.
- Wednesday 3rd
- AM: 8miles steady. Still tired not getting much sleep. Stomach still sore (stitch). So, so tired; feel really wiped out all the time (pulse rate 51). Only session today.
- Thursday 4th
- PM: 8miles with 8 x 3mins (90 secs recovery). Hard session. Only session today.
- Friday 5th
- AM: 14miles steady. Felt quite good. Did it in 90mins.
- Saturday 6th
- AM: 10miles including 16 x 1min (1min recovery) but can’t tell if I am moving fast because it is so hard.
- PM: 8miles nice and steady feeling better now. I hope it’s going to stay with me. Don’t feel so worn out but still can’t sleep very well.
- Sunday 7th
- AM: 16miles on my own. Went okay for 7000feet altitude so I can’t complain
- Monday 8th
- AM: 10miles with 8 x 3mins (with 90secs recovery). Good session but it’s still hard to tell if I’m running fast.
- Tuesday 9th
- AM: 14miles, legs felt tired and weary. Did a little swimming after then had a Jacuzzi.
- PM: 4miles before tea, not too bad.
- Wednesday 10th
- AM: 8miles gentle, still feel weary, hope it doesn’t last. I can’t understand it.
- PM: 6miles steady and don’t really feel too bad now.
- Thursday 11th
- AM: 10miles with 12 x 2min ( 1minute recovery). Good hard session, still not satisfied.
- PM: Just did 6miles, nice and gentle. Feel like I am working hard but not running very fast.
- Friday 12th
- AM: 10miles steady. Not too bad. Wet, windy and snowy.
- Saturday 13th
- 15km road race in El Paso. 2nd to Carlos Lopes. 43mins 29secs. Went okay.
- Sunday 14th
- A good 18miles in 2hours 20mins, quite hard, not fast but most of it at 8000-9000 feet. Legs were feeling tired from yesterday’s race. Pulse at 4pm: 42
- Monday 15th
- AM: 10miles gentle pace, not too bad but cold and snowy.
- PM: 8miles steady, very very cold, in snowstorm. Pulse at 11pm: 60.
- Tuesday 16th
- AM: 10miles including 10 x 2minutes with 1minute recovery, not eyeballs out, just good strides, cold and snowy.
- PM: 5miles steady, felt bloody knackered. Pulse at 7pm: 62
- Wednesday 17th
- 45minutes steady, not too bad but a bit stiff. Flew to Chicago.
- Thursday 18th
- Another 40minutes steady, very wet and windy. Not too bad but still a little stiff.
- Friday 19th 40minutes again, legs sore, chest heavy, confidence seeping away (must have a race soon).
- Saturday 20th
- Did about 4miles or so, legs not sore today. Come on tomorrow. Getting nervous.
- Sunday 21st
- Chicago Marathon. World Best – 2hours 08 mins 05secs.
