The art of the taper

Dana M.

For Flyers running October marathons, tapering is either in progress or just around the corner. In theory, tapering sounds easy; after all, what’s simpler than just running less?

Unfortunately, I don’t find tapering to be that easy. Instead, my experience generally revolves around my body going wackadoodle for the three weeks between my last long run and marathon day.  With another taper in progress, I'm working against a predefined game plan to overcome some of my less endearing tapering moments.  Here are a few problems I normally experience, plus a few solution ideas that I'm trying this time around.  I hope they work, and I hope you'll find them helpful as well:

Starvation corner
At the best of times, I hardly have what could be termed a delicate appetite.  In the last few weeks before a marathon, however, I'm hungry All. The. Time.  It's not just normal hunger that signals that it's time for a meal, either:  It's ravenous, gnawing hunger pains that actually make me nauseous.  (Sadly, this particular nausea does nothing to depress my appetite.)

My first instinct during these moments is to attack simple carbs, the more, the better.  While the glycemic euphoria is great in the short term, with this approach I generally end up feeling worse and even gaining weight as the marathon draws near.  This time, I've filled my refrigerator with protein-rich foods, including chicken and turkey, eggs, nuts, peanut butter and low-fat cheese, and I'm using those as my main go-to foods.

If you see me scoffing a candy bar during this time, though?

Don't judge.

Sleeplessness

Rest up.

In another one of life's badass little ironies, right during the period in which I should be getting at least eight hours of sleep per night and more if I can, I'm often awake until the wee hours of the morning.  I'm sure there's a major psychological component to my tapering insomnia, and truthfully I know full well that hydrating with coffee doesn't help.  I think there's a physiological aspect beyond excessive caffeine, though, and that's mostly because part of what keeps me awake is that my legs feel jumpy.

According to Runner's World, the aches, pains, and jumpiness that come out of nowhere during tapering represent the body's efforts to heal itself and rebuild damaged tissue, so the leg issues that keep me awake are actually working to my benefit.  This time around, I'm trying to remember that.  I'm also working to combat the sleeplessness through restful practices like extra (but not strenuous) yoga, hot baths with mineral salts, and as much internet TV as my brain can handle.

The urge to surge

Let's face it, tapering feels like slacking. I'm a relatively high-mileage runner when I'm actively training for a marathon, and the prospect of that mileage dwindling for three weeks in a row is scary because I'm worried that I'll lose my edge.  In reality, taking the time to let the body rebuild and rejuvenate itself is the best thing a marathoner can do to increase the likelihood of a superior performance.  I'm tackling this mental block this year with a more detailed tapering schedule than I've used in the past.

Should you hear me muttering about doing more than what I have on the schedule, please tell me I'm stupid and otherwise talk me down. That'd be great.

That's my playbook for surviving the last few weeks before my fall marathon.  What other tapering tips do you recommend? - Dana M.