Time to Tapir . . . ?

Tapir or Taper? It's Taper Time!

By Dan Van Veen

Ok, I couldn’t resist . . ., but the truth is,  if you’re getting ready to do a distance event during the Detroit Free Press Marathon weekend, you’re going to need to be thinking about your taper.

A taper is basically a reduction of mileage and intensity so that you methodically ease back typically two weeks out and then really have a light week the week of the race.

Now, I remember my first 10K . . . it really isn’t a “distance” race, but at the time, it was twice as far as I had ever raced before… so in preparation I was increasing my miles and intensity all the way up to the day before race day. Oh, I finished the race, but for SOME weird reason, my legs seemed to feel so heavy and I really had to work hard to finish.

Tapering allows your body to fully recover from weeks of training before you demand all it has on race day. Sore muscles, strains, those small (and maybe not-so-small) aches and pains all have a chance to heal and recover.

Some keys that are sometimes overlooked as you taper . . . as your mileage decreases, your energy reserves will increase and you will be tempted to stay up later during those last two OR fill the extra time you’re NOT running with other strenuous activities. BUT to get the most out of your taper, don’t change your bedtimes (maybe even get to bed a wee bit earlier) and limit your strenuous exercise. I had a friend who was getting ready for a marathon and, if I remember correctly, he pulled a muscle/strained his lower back while cleaning out an attic JUST a week before his race.

So, what am I saying? The two weeks before your race, the race you’ve been training weeks and months for, need to be CAREFULLY guarded. Good sleep, good food, good hydration, limited extracurricular activities, and the willingness to say “no” to things that could jeopardize your race. Remember, many of you are walking or running to raise funds for a worthy cause . . . by guarding your ability to race you’re also guarding the good those funds will result in for the people in need of those funds. Right? Right!

Well, for all of you participating in a Detroit FreePress event, good luck! And for those of you doing distance races, taper well!!

Have an awesome run today!

Dan Van Veen