Have the Best Taper of Your Life
Do NOT over-train because you missed runs
You're 3 weeks out from your next major race. You've done the work necessary for you to set your next PR.
You've done everything you know how to do and here you are, ready for your taper to begin in a week.
You have done the thing that 3 months ago you didn't think would be possible. You worked your ass off. And you've come out on the other side stronger, fitter, and ready to race.
In terms of training, the last three weeks are the icing on the cake. You spent the first 12 weeks building your base, laying down workouts and long runs, focusing on your sleep and nutrition, and now, the last 21 days are for feeling good and getting sharp.
If runners were bakers, you'd have spent 12 weeks making the cake and the last 3 decorating it and putting the cherries on top.
That's what runners do over the course of a training cycle.
In those last 3 weeks though, you can't build a better cake and you can't get any fitter. You are there. You did it. The hard work you've done is about to pay off.
Since what you've already done is what can be done, there's no looking back and there is no escaping the fact that doing more will not bring better results. It's not like studying for a test, cramming is not going to work out for you.
Just like a baker who leaves a cake in the oven for too long, runners can also "cook" themselves, and what's left of a burnt and crispy runner is not appetizing, nor is someone who I'd like to be around.
This week's post is going to discuss how you can mess up your peak and instead what you should do to capitalize on your fitness level.
Over-training:
If you've ever felt like you didn't run all the miles you were supposed to, you might have the inclination to try and catch up in the weeks leading up to your big race.
This would be a big mistake.
First off, even when you're running your peak mileage, running more than that sounds crazy! There's a reason why you hit your peak mileage and you didn't run more: because running more would mean you're that much closer to an injury.
It's not any different when it's time to peak. When your body is asking for recovery so it can reap the benefits of all the training, adding more mileage is not the answer.
An over-trained runner is irritable, has trouble sleeping, is getting sick or just got over being sick, never feels recovered from training, and isn't happy about the training they are doing.
If this is you, you might be over-training. Take a step back from training and allow your body and your mind to recover. A day off from running WILL NOT RUIN YOUR TRAINING.
The last 3 weeks of training aren't about getting fitter, they are about turning the knobs in the right sequence so our body feels fresh from the training we've just done.
I think the most likely candidate for over-training is the runner who feels they "missed" training due to any number of reasons and don't feel the training they've done is going to be enough.
Trust me. It's enough.
Missing a key workout or long run happens. It's part of training. When it does happen though, we don't need to throw in extra workouts or runs to compensate or "catch up" on missed miles.
Sometimes missing miles is actually a good thing - it allows our body to get the rest it needs (even though we planned on doing the run anyway).
Summary
Everyone wants to make sure they get in all the miles they can, which is great, but what's even better is doing this throughout the training cycle and not in the last 20 days.
Instead of over-training, which we all tend to do when we feel we aren't prepared enough, we should double down on doing what we've done all training cycle long: rest when we need to, run the proper paces for runs and workouts, and spend time recovering from those runs.
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Friday’s Action Plan
Cramming mileage at the end of your training cycle will not get you fitter; instead, be patient and trust your training. You’ve done enough training to be successful.
What Has My Attention:
Multi-Day Runners are Alarmingly Sane
Quote of the Week:
Be thankful for the obstacles in your road. The road may lead you forward, but the obstacles teach you how to climb.
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