Taper week

The taper period is the week(s) leading up to the marathon where you reduce the amount of miles you are running to allow your body to be at its best on race day. I have tried a two week taper for the last two marathons, mostly because 3 weeks of it will drive you nuts (taper madness).

It would seem like a thing to look forward to (the reduction of miles), but it seems to mess with your head and body. After ramping up your mileage over 16 weeks to get in shape, suddenly as the race date nears you are doing much less. Worry about whether you're really ready creeps in. You gain weight because your still eating like you were when you were burning more calories. Every little muscle twinge leads to thoughts of disaster. You start watching where you step so as not to turn an ankle or bump your knee into something. You start wishing your world were a little more like a Snapple commercial...



Just get me to the start line healthy.