How to nail the taper!
It’s race week in Toronto and we’re bringing our top tips to ensure that you’re ready to fly!
We actually kind of hate the word taper.
It’s a necessary part of any race build up, but it comes along with all kinds of pressure, anxiety and expectation.
You’ve worked so hard to get here and don’t want to “mess up” now by doing it “wrong”.
You can’t wait for race day, and also feel all the normal race week nerves.
You feel kind of rusty, jittery and “off” in a way that’s tough to pinpoint.
We get it. And we’re here to take a little of the mystery, dread and unknown out of the taper period.
With our hometown race, the TCS Toronto Waterfront Marathon set to kick off in just a few days, we’re sharing a few of our top strategies to ensure that you get to that start line sharp, confident and ready to race with fire!
The taper is for your mental game as much as it is about physical preparation.
When we think of tapering, we often think about physical prepardness. While ensuring that our bodies are in the sweet spot of rested but sharp is a big part of the weeks pre-race, fine tuning your mental game is just as important.
In fact, a recent study of elite running coaches revealed greater emphasis on psychological well-being than physical state during the taper period.
So, now is the perfect time to double down on your efforts to ensure that you are heading into race day believing that you are capable of big things and priming yourself to respond beautifully when challenged out there.
Practice those mantras.
Put power songs on repeat.
Remind yourself of all the reasons you’re going to be incredible.
Run through what you’ll tell yourself when it fatigue, discomfort, unexpected challenges and doubt start to make their presence known.
Visualize what that finish line will look like, feel like, and sound like.
Do whatever you can to ensure that belief in yourself is on autopilot out there and you’ll be beautifully equipped to tap into possibility on race day. You’ve got this!
A “mental taper” is also a powerful tool.
A mental taper means avoiding stressful or mentally fatiguing activities before a big race.
Multiple studies demonstrated that athletes who were mentally fatigued had poorer performances on time trials and reported muscular fatigue more quickly than their mentally rested counterparts.
It’s also important to note that longer races mean long periods of mental focus. You need to be on your A-game!
So while it may feel like you have all the time in the world in comparison to the demands of peak-week running, remember that now is not the time to catch up on life-tasks that have potential to be mentally-taxing.
This is also a reminder to get race logistics dealt with early! Travel plans, race strategies, fuelling targets and other potential race week stressors should be tackled early so that you can mentally relax through the home stretch.
Adapt as you go.
Just like marathon training, there’s no one-size-fits-all way to taper.
Also, just like training, there are all kinds of reason to modify the plan, break “the rules” and do what feels best for you.
You know yourself better than anyone else in the world. Consider basic principles, check in with how you’re feeling and adjust as needed to feel your best mentally and physically.
Don’t be afraid of a bit of intensity.
It’s time for your muscles to recharge, your tank to fill up, and your mind to rest. But that doesn’t mean that a bit of effort is off the table.
Tapering is a process of cutting back training so you can absorb the hard work you’ve done in the peak weeks of training. To many runners, the default is to run significantly less, both in intensity and volume. Again, there’s no “right” way to taper, but while a reduction of mileage is often key, some intensity is fair game.
In fact, a recent study suggests that a reduction in volume without changing intensity or frequency of running up to 21 days before racing may lead to the best performance.
Of course, do what feels best, but know that some tempo work may be the secret to feeling sharp, but not depleted on race day. Just make sure that you bring the overall volume of running down.
Sleep is your super power.
We know you may feel antsy.
We know that the rest of life goes on and plays into how you show up in your race-prep.
We know that travel is often a thing.
But seriously, whatever you can do to prioritize sleep is a huge win. Stick to bedtime, avoid excess screen time, reduce or eliminate alcohol consumption, make your environment as sleep friendly as possible.
It’s likely that the night before the race will be a tough one for sleep as your excitement and nerves take over. That’s ok.
Research has shown that a single night of poor sleep the night before a race is unlikely to affect performance, but that result only holds true if the athlete has routinely been well rested in the days leading up to the event.
So there’s even more reason to aim for quality sleep in the week leading up to raced day. If you’ve been nailing your sleep game earlier in the week, you’re in a great spot!
Ease off the strength work.
We know that strength training has tons of benefits for your race day performance. Where a lot of runners struggle is in knowing when to ease off so that you get maximum benefits without risking fatigue.
A recent study showed that runners who were consistent in their strength training in the build up to race day and then stopped as much as 4 weeks prior to still enjoyed all the benefits to their running economy.
So go ahead and drop those strength sessions this week. If showing up here will add to your confidence or feels right to you, aim to dial it back to ensure that you hit the sweet spot of rested but sharp race day.
Think of the taper as an extension of your training.
The taper isn’t a hard stop to training. It’s simply a period within your training with a slightly different focus; fine tuning and ensuring that you are mentally and physically ready to perform.
Take the pressure off perfection! A slight mishap won’t undo months of hard work!
You might feel a little crazy. That’s normal!
Try not to overthink every twinge, second guess your training or channel race week energy into doing too much.
You’re stronger than you think.
You’re exactly where you need to be.
You’re going to be incredible!
We can’t wait to cheer for you!
We’ll be out there rooting for you as you put your heart on the line, find joy in the opportunity to chase big dreams alongside 25,000 fellow runners and inspire us all to show up for ourselves and our communities in big ways!
We’ll be bringing big energy as we cheer for both the half marathon and marathon athletes at Lakeshore W and British Columbia Road. Join us, if you’re able!
And for those of you taking to the streets to run:
Take deep breaths. Hold your head high. Get after it!
One last quick note: It’s a busy week in clinic, but there are a few cancellations opening up spots for a pre-race tune up. Book in now and if there’s no availability that aligns with your schedule, pop your name onto our waitlist!