What to do (and not do!) During Taper
Taper terrors got you spiraling? I got your back.
Alright, friend,
You’ve put in the work, you tested your favorite kinds of gels, and maybe you hit snooze once or twice, but for the most part you got up for that early alarm and now its almost race day. 26.2 here we come!
If you’re like most runners, you may experience what we affectionately call taper terrors or taper tantrums. It’s this lovely time when our bodies feel weird because our level of physical activity is changing, and mentally we’re starting to question everything. The result?… A nice cocktail (or lackthereof, see below) of distance-runner stress.
We’re coming up on Twin Cities and Chicago Marathons, and today I’m giving you the scientific reasons why yes, taper terrors are real and not just in your head, and then a brief list of to-dos and not-to-dos during taper. Together we can get you to the finish line physically and mentally ready to go!
First, Taper terrors are real. For the last 12-16 weeks you’ve been running most days, doing hard workouts frequently, running for 2-4 hours every weekend, maybe lifting, and probably eating a lot of food. Now you might be taking the extra day off or easy day here and there, you run for 1.5 hrs on the weekend and wonder where the second half of the run is, and the hard workouts are…. not as hard? We are literally throwing our bodies into a new state of normal, so it’s no wonder they feel weird. Additionally, the thing you’ve been thinking about and caring about and prepping for for the better part of 4 months is all of a sudden soon, and your brain is realizing that basically now you just have to wait and see what happens. And you don’t even have as much running to do to clear your head or channel your energy somewhere else. Cue taper terrors. Take a deep breath, know that you’re not alone, and keep reading.
Here are 5 things that YES you SHOULD do during taper:
Yes…. Keep Running. If you usually run most days of the week, continue to run most days of the week. I would recommend taking just 1 extra day completely off during the last week before the race. But other than that, you don’t have to just do nothing. If you’ve been training, an easy run of 25-40 min is not going to tire you out, and it will keep you feeling as normal in your running schedule as you can.
Yes… Do a hard workout between 9 and 11 days out from the race. During this time period you can still gain fitness. I recommend a threshold workout of some kind. And not only can you still gain fitness for the race, doing a hard workout 9-11 days out will also maintain your normal running schedule for as long as possible, which will help keep your body feeling stable.
Yes… Eat the same amount that you did while you were in heavy training. The last two weeks, and especially the last week, before a race, is NOT the time to cut back on fuel. Sure, your overall training load will be coming down a little bit, but if you’re following my other guidlines you’re still running most days and you’re still sprinkling in some harder sessions, and you still need all that fuel. Additionally, the nervous energy you start to feel leads to being jittery and on-edge, and that just draws energy from our stores. So we have to keep eating so that we don't drain ourselves of energy. And finally, especially during the last week before a race, you want to be really focused on making sure you are topping off your carbohydrate stores. You don’t have to overdue it, but not eating as much just because you don’t feel you need to is a sure-fire why to ruin your race before you even get to the start line. Don’t skimp on food during this time. (more details below)
Yes…. Focus on the things you can control, not the things you can’t. Do the things you can do to prep for the race, and try to leave the rest behind: make sure you know what shoes you’re going to wear, find your bottles and gels and all the things you need, make plans to run with friends so you don’t spend the whole run overthinking everything you did training, know how you’re getting to the start line, grocery shop so that you have foods to consume that you know work for you, etc. etc. These are all things you can control and accomplishing these tasks will not only give you confidence but also give your brain something to think about instead of worrying.
Yes… Review all the things that went well in training. Lots of the research tells us that we gain confidence from thinking about all the things we’ve already done, and we get nervous when we think about what we have still to do. So, instead of putting all your energy into thinking about what will happen on race day, go back through your training log and look at all the splits and reps and workouts that you nailed along the way. That body of work will set you up for physical success on race day, and reminding yourself of it and re-reading it will set you up for mental success.
Here are 4 things that NO, you should NOT do during taper:
DO NOT…. Check the weather everyday. For the love of everything, stop refreshing the weather app- especially if the race is 2 weeks from now. It will change every day between now and then, and the weather is one of those things that you can’t control. About 4 days out from the race, check the predicted weather for the race, and start to physically and mentally prepare yourself. Then, double-check 1 day before the race to make sure things haven’t changed. And that’s all.
DO NOT….. Drink Alcohol. I’m not usually one to recommend limiting ourselves in any way. However, there is a lot of research that shows that alcohol inhibits our recovery and also negatively impacts our hydration status and both muscular and aerobic fitness. Regardless of how much you drink during the average training cycle, do yourself a favor and don’t drink alcohol during taper (If not drinking for 2 weeks is really problematic, you may have other things to evaluate). Sure, it might not make a difference, but likely it could, and why not give yourself the best chance to have a good day?
Do NOT…. Do a dramatic carbo-load if you’ve never done one before. It’s true that you want to make sure you’re fueling enough before a marathon. And it’s true that you should focus on carbs. However, doing a huge carbo-load, and especially one that is days long, if you haven’t practiced it before, can have a negative impact on your race. My take on fueling before a race is the same as for most other pre-race activities: don’t do something totally new for race day. Instead, make a few tweaks to your nutrition that will help you out:
In the 1-2 days before the marathon, exchange some of the calories you usually get from protein or fat, into carbs. For example, if you often eat a cheese stick as a snack, choose a banana or crackers instead. Or, if you usually have yogurt, granola, and eggs for breakfast, have yogurt and granola and toast or a bagel instead. These tweaks will help you stock up on carbs without making you feel super bloated or overly full.
The day before the race, drink 2 extra beverages that are carb-heavy. I like this tip because usually it also helps with hydration, and it’s a relatively easy way to get extra carbs without really overdoing it. My favorite ways to accomplish this are drinking a glass of fruit juice with breakfast and/or lunch, and then also sipping on a sports drink with sugar the evening before the race. If I make these changes, I can ensure my carb stores are ready without making lots of significant changes to my normal diet in the days before a race.
Do NOT…. Overthink every physical activity you do. Runners can drive themselves crazy during taper thinking about every physical movet they make": “I couldn’t possible take my dogs for a walk because the race is 10 days from now and I might be tired,” or “I can’t do laundry because the washer is downstairs,” or “I walked out to my car and my calf felt stiff, it’s all over”. This kind of thinking is only going to exhaust you. For the most part, continue to keep your everyday lifestyle the same. Sure, it’s not the best idea to climb a skyscraper in the days before a race, and maybe ask someone else to shovel the driveway or rake the leaves if you’re not really accustomed to those movements so you don’t feel sore in weird places. But overall, don’t overthink everything you do. You’ve done the preparation, you’re ready. And probably that (short) walk with the dogs will help your mental health and give you something to do.
And there you have it! Yes, taper terrors can be real, but you’re ready, and you can do it. Try to enjoy this time, and get ready to sparkle on race day!
Happy Taper!
Maggie