The following article was written by a Run For Kids friend and veteran marathoner, Don Leeman.

 

Time to Taper!

 

You are now less than one month away from what you started working on last Spring: the Marine Corps Marathon.

 

Over this long haul, you've been gradually building up mileage, steadily increasing your weekly totals as you've gone along. By now, you may very well be in the best shape of your life! So, what's next?

 

Over the last 2 or 3 weeks, it's time to take advantage of all of your hard work by gradually reducing your weekly mileage. Now, at this point, you might ask: "What? And lose all of this great conditioning?"

 

Actually, if you taper off properly, you won't lose a thing as far as conditioning goes. Instead, you will be resting, and gradually recovering. This will allow your muscles to heal from all of the stress to which you've subjected them. If you think back to the beginning, I mentioned something about "hard, easy, hard, easy: or: "work, rest, work, rest." This is similar to the practice of weight lifters, who never work the same group of muscles on consecutive days. Rather, they might work on biceps and triceps one day, and then do legs the next day. You have been doing the same thing, IF you have not had hard workouts on consecutive days!

 

So, how do you do it? Well, let's suppose that your peak weekly mileage has hit the 50 mark. Two weeks before the MCM, reduce that to no more than 35, or even down to 30. The week of the MCM, cut that in half, with little or no running at all for the last two days before the marathon. This is a good, two-week taper, and it works!

 

You might also consider a 3-week taper. In that case, you will cut down from 50 to 40, then from 40 to perhaps 25, and then from 25 down to about 15. One thing that you have to consider, though, is HOW you will run those miles over the last 2 or 3 weeks. The following might be your best shot: If you are doing a 3-week taper, continue to run your miles the same way you ran them during your long build-up to this point. Do that speed workout on Tuesday, as usual. However, shorten it proportionately. Thus, instead of cutting back on your intensity, just cut back the number of miles. By running at the same pace as you normally run, you won't forget  the pace that you've learned. "Slogging" down the street will be okay for that final week, but don't do it too soon!

 

In the middle of the second week of your taper, start cutting back the intensity or pace of your runs. In the case of both weeks, you reduce your mileage by reducing the number of days that you run.

 

The final week should have all easy runs, at nice, relaxed paces. Think about this: there is nothing that you can do to improve your conditioning during these last couple of weeks. You've built up your conditioning during these last 5 months, and that's what makes it possible for you to taper without fear of losing what you've gained. There is also no more room or need for any more 20-milers. (WHEW!) By now, you've done all that you can do to build up your endurance. One more 20-miler won't make the MCM any easier. However, at this point, it is very possible to "over-train", and thus wind up going to the Marathon in a state of fatigue. Believe me when I tell you this: You want to go to the Starting Line feeling STRONG! The Taper is the way to do it!

 

One more thing that you will have to consider during the last week will be carbo-loading. This is critical! You've been absorbing and expending lots of carbs in your long runs, and hopefully have done some "mini carbo-loads" for the day or two prior to your longest training runs. For this final week, you want to carbo-load all week long. You might get tired of pasta, but it's necessary. Just don't over-eat! Consume your normal amount of food for this final week, knowing that the easier workouts will allow your body to absorb more carbs and retain them for Sunday. Those extra carbos in the body are like an extra couple of gallons of gas in the tank. They'll take you those last few miles, and they'll be with you when you cross the Finish Line. To re-cap: Reduce your weekly mileage during the last 2 or 3 weeks. You do this by reducing the number of runs (taking days of rest), but without cutting back on the intensity of those runs. The time to reduce your intensity is either the last week (for a 2-week taper) or the last 10 days (for a 3 week taper). Personally, I always opted for the 2-week taper, but that's because it worked for me. Generally speaking, the higher your weekly mileage, the longer you should taper. The longer you taper, the more gradual it can be.

 

You might ask about running for the last couple of days before the marathon. Some runners like to go out for an easy jog of just a couple of miles. If you feel that this might help ease some of the tension or anxiety, go ahead. However, make sure that you JOG, and not RUN! And, keep it short. More work now will not help your chances of finishing, nor will it improve your finishing time. (Do you REALLY think you can improve your conditioning during those last few days???)

 

By the way, those carbohydrates don't all have to be in the form of spaghetti. Rice is great, and I suggest brown rice, since it has more nutritional values. However, plain white rice is good. Also, whole wheat bread is great. You might also get some of those Power Bars. I highly suggest them, especially if you've been training with them.

 

One more idea that might sound a bit "off the wall" is to get a "fanny pack" and run with it for the last few weeks. Use it to store some of the things you will need on Marathon Sunday. I'll cover more of this "last-minute strategy" in my next article. That will also be my last one for this training schedule. I sincerely hope that these articles have proven useful to all of you, and that you have a GREAT run at the 2003 Marine Corps Marathon. As I mentioned in the beginning, this is the "challenge of a lifetime" for you, especially if this is your first marathon.

 

If you have any questions, please feel free to write to Don's Mail Bag, or directly to me at: dleeman03887@hotmail.com.  It will be my pleasure to hear of your personal successes at the MCM, so please fill me in on what you've accomplished.

 

The last couple of days before the marathon, you should also be hydrating yourself. This is especially critical on Saturday, the day before the marathon. Drink water, and keep drinking. Once it starts to come through you looking "clear", then you are fully hydrated.