“Reduce quantity, but maintain quality.” This was the reminder, from Hal Higdon, regarding workouts during the taper period. It’s a balancing act indeed. Prior to the marathon rest is needed so that the muscles can heal from all of the torture from the past many months of training. Don’t run too much, or too fast. But *do* run fast enough. This time is often referred to as “taper madness.”
At lunch, when I am usually running…
I log onto the Grandma’s marathon site, print out the elevation profile and try my best to calculate where I will encounter challenges (hills, whatever). Where will the aid stations be? Will they have GU?
I even print a pace band that I don’t intend to wear and highlight where the splits will be taken from the chip, where the aid stations are and the only Cliff-shot to be handed out on the course. I do this just to see it.
In the cafeteria I make small talk with the chef cooking my omelet. As another chef, who knows me by name, comes over and greets me, “Hi Yulee,” I see another handful of mushrooms land in the skillet. I smile thinking I don’t need those, but I love mushrooms. Later, at my desk, I eat. I obsess over the calories eaten and not burned. Let’s see, I really should have eaten a bigger breakfast so this is ?probably? okay.
Oh, the madness. When will it all end?
I count the days until the race. I’m excited…nervous…I can’t describe the feeling, but if you are an experienced marathoner then you know the feeling for yourself. The hard work is done. With the pace runs, speed work, cross training, and long runs are all behind me, I have nothing to do but wait for the big day. What else is there to do?