The art of Tapering

Just less than a week  !! I can't believe it is so close. During the last 2 weeks I have been tapering and so do many of my friends who are running the Chicago Marathon on 10/10/10...so cool!! too bad my ultra is on 10/09/10 :(

Tapering is nice as you slow down a little and give your body a chance to rest before the big day but at the same time you are worry  about loosing fitness.  Since I have now many readers that are not runners I will try to explain you what "tapering" means. But to do so I could  first  like to to explain that most of the training programs has 3 phases:

1. The base phase which develops endurance, the foundation of any distance-running plan. You can't just start training for a marathon or half if you have never run more than a block in your life!! You need to build some millage before getting serious about the training. There are different types of base depending the distance you are planning to train for. Once you are comfortable running some minimal miles you can move to the next phase.
2. Phase two which depending on your goal it would  add speed by introducing tempo runs and long repeats or distance by increasing your long runs. If you are training for a long distance race as a marathon you will start adding miles every week until you reach a "peak". After your peak you body will be ready for the race but since you have pushed and pushed it is recommended to give it a rest to get your optimal performance....and here is where the next phase starts.
3. Tapering. This phase generally starts 21 days before your race date and  means you run less and rest more. It is time to chill and let your body to recover. Muscles might have tissue damage that need to be repaired before the race. You need to eat proteins to help you muscles recover but also carbohydrates to replenish the energy you have used during your training. Your tank is empty and it is time to refill it!! Also during tapering you can pamper yourself with massages and hot bubble baths that will help your body to recover and relax....you see...training hard it is not that bad!!

I have been tapering for the last 2 weeks and will continuous in this way until race day. All the hard work is done and now it is time to recover and minimize accumulated fatigue. For some people, the idea of backing off on their training just before the big race is really disturbing because everyone is afraid to lose fitness and fail on race day.  The truth is that  in those last few weeks it's the rest more than the work that makes you strong. And you don't lose fitness in 3 weeks of tapering. In fact, studies show that your aerobic capacity doesn't change at all. But don't think you won't be doing anything!!! it is just that you slow down a little but you still need to go out and run!! in general you will be cutting your millage approximately 10% to 20% the first week, somewhere between 30% to 50% the second week and just do a couple of easy runs the last week.

Nevertheless, you need to understand that when you have been training hard for 3 or 4 months running almost everyday and pushing your body more and more it is tough just to slow down one day to the other. It is more psychological than physical actually. Not to mention that sometime you gain some weight during tapering because your metabolism is the same and you are hungry all the time.  You can't do diet because you need the nutrients to recover but you are running less and therefore you are burning less calories!! Coaches tell you that you shouldn't worry because you will lose these pounds during the race...my own experience tells me that in my case it is not truth!!! I know I will end up with a couple of pounds more after the  race  and I will need to do some diet afterwards. I think this theory only work for men and  skinny women :(