And rest.
Actually, it’s probably not wise to be entirely sedentary for the taper period but it has been known for people to do exactly that and I’m currently tempted. A lot of the training plans start from three weeks out from your race date, and get you to cut your weekly mileage by twenty to thirty percent each week. The thinking is that you should keep your fitness but reduce your fatigue during this time and that’s a tricky balance to achieve because there is no one-size fits all method. Only experience can really help you work that out for yourself.
Having been out of full-fitness action in the last few weeks, I decided to give myself a last long run just fifteen days before Manchester, which may come back to bite me but made me feel more confident. Yesterday I managed a slow (averaging 13 min miles) 18 miles. It shows how much aerobic fitness I’ve lost with all my little niggles that have plagued me recently, but I was pleased that, aside from feeling ker-nackered by the end, it was a fairly pain-free run. It means that (barring any unforeseen curve balls) I can hopefully get under the 6-hour cut-off time and reach the end. Not as good as I’d originally hoped but better than not doing it at all. And I’ll use it as a learning process and probably take a few photos along the way!
In the next two weeks, I’ll do some smaller runs, and hopefully get on the bike this Thursday, with the gang, and then, enjoy that day.
| Day | What I Did |
| Mon | A gentle recovery run 3.05 miles [4.9 km] Avg pace: 12:22 m/m [7.59 m/km] |
| Tue | Yoga with Adriene Club Run including some nice sprint trail routes 5.06 miles [8.14 km] Avg pace: 11.53 m/m [7.16 m/km] |
| Wed | Baby run before going to Stratford 2.06 miles [3.3 km] Avg pace: 12.53 m/m [7.78 m/km] Julius Caesar at the RSC after a very fine dinner |
| Thu | |
| Fri | 3.7 mile [5.95 km] Avg pace: 11 m/m [6.83 m/km] |
| Sat | Last Long Run Need to add three minutes to my total as I ducked in to the Boathouse pub in Parkgate for a quick widdle. 18.08 miles [29.09] Avg pace: 13 m/m [8.07 m/km] |
| Sun | Yoga with Adriene |
theleadlesspencil 
yes, the taper…Iike how some races will have friendship or fun runs the day before race day, and most training plans will have a longer run the wednesday before…a lot of that I think is just for the head then anything….like they say, there’s nothing you can do now to make that race day better, but there are so many things you could do that won’t be good..but, you just to move..
Funnily enough, I have a 5 mile race on the Wednesday before. That will get my head ready!
The taper was always the strongest part of my marathon training.
🤣