Monday: No running today. You're into your final taper now. This rest day takes on more significance as you try to store energy. "Knowing precisely how to modify your training during the last two to three weeks before a marathon takes experience," I write in Marathon: The Ultimate Training Guide. "Even for seasoned marathoners, it may take a few bad starts before finding a specific routine that works. There are too many variables in the equation. How long you may have prepared for any one specific long race, how effective your training has been, whether you enter the closing stages undertrained or overtrained, and how confident you are." I like to feel that you should be very confident after following my 18-week program!

Tuesday: Four easy miles for today's run. In Marathon: The Ultimate Training Guide, I discuss the psychological implications of doing less: "You may not know what to do with the extra time. And you don't want to give up your long Sunday run with friends, even in the last weekend before the marathon. Then there's the problem of diet. If you cut down on the number of miles you run, you'll also need to cut the number of calories you eat if you don't want to gain weight. And while many marathoners might believe that rest could benefit their performance in this marathon, they're afraid of the effect of two or three weeks' rest on their overall conditioning." Trust me: The rest will do you good!

Wednesday: Six miles today. The decreased mileage on this key, midweek workout should make it easier for you to manage your busy schedule. Are you running on a course today where there is an accurately measured mile, regardless of where it comes in the run? Pick up the pace and see how close you can come to the precise pace you will run in the race two weekends from today. No handy measured mile? Increase your pace for the precise length of time it would take you to cover a mile at marathon pace. You'd be surprised how close you can come to hitting the exact distance.

Thursday: Go only three miles. A continued drop in distance. Here's another reason why to taper from Owen Anderson, Ph.D., editor of Running Research News: "Scientific evidence suggests that temporary training reductions bolster leg muscle power, reduce lactic acid production, and carve precious minutes off race times. In contrast, hard workouts just before a race can produce nagging injuries and deplete leg muscles of their key fuel for running--glycogen."

Friday: Total rest. Don't stay out too late tonight. You want to catch up on any sleep you might have lost during the hard weeks of your training. Sleep loss is cumulative, and it's time to catch up. Here's some advice on eating habits during the taper period from Marathon: The Ultimate Training Guide: "Watch what you eat. If you're running less, you're also burning fewer calories. This could mean you gain a pound or so--no big deal, unless you also fill in your spare time by making extra trips to the fridge.... To keep from piling on extra pounds, you could eliminate junk food from your diet during your taper week(s). Get rid of the soft drinks and sugar sweets that you may have used to boost your calorie intake during regular training."

Saturday: Run 8 miles. This would be a good day for a final test run of your equipment: the shoes you plan to wear and your "race" uniform (conceding that you can't always predict next weekend's weather). You want to avoid, as much as possible, any blisters or chafing that might make next weekend's run uncomfortable. Incidentally, there are some excellent anti-chafing products. Body Glide is one, but there are a number of others. Check at your local running store.

Sunday: An hour of cross-training today. Keeping with the spirit of this second tapering week, whatever you do today should not be done with high intensity. If you decide to do some biking, swimming or hiking (depending on your cross-workout of choice), let's limit it to a half hour in keeping with my tapering recommendation that you cut your regular training in half two weeks before the marathon. Stay away from pick-up basketball games. Don't throw away the work of the last three months by doing something foolish.

 

Tip of the Week: As you get into the final weeks of your marathon preparation, the most important thing you can do is rest, rest and rest. The hard work is over. You need to do some training, but not too much. My approach has always been to cut mileage, but maintain intensity. Continue to run somewhat fast on the "hard" days, but not so far. For inspiration, rent a video of the classic English movie, The Loneliness of the Long Distance Runner.

How to Improve: Hal Higdon's How To Train offers training schedules and advice on everything from fitness walking to running the marathon. Plus there's information on nutrition and recovering from injuries. Add a copy of this book to your collection. To order an autographed copy of this and other books by Runner's World's best writer go to Books by Hal Higdon.

 

Copyright © 2000 by Hal Higdon. All rights reserved.