This Sunday is the big race. The 10K that I have spent the last two months preparing for. All those training runs come down to how you perform in less than an hour of time. I am sure you can tell, I’m freaking out just a little bit.
The cause of this minor “freak out”. My last week of running hasn’t been exactly what I expected. I only had 2 runs this week. A 5 miler on Tuesday and 5 x 400 @ 5K pace on Wednesday (4.5 miles total). I wasn’t able to get in my last tempo run or long run this weekend. My daughter got sick, then got pink eye, my sister needed help moving, Hurricane Sandy kept us inside. Now I know that these things happen. Almost any running article that you read says “be flexible”, but I can’t help it. I am hard on myself. I want better results so I push myself to get them.
So today my training plan says “REST”. I am supposed to be tapering. I find this difficult seeing as though today is an ideal day for me to workout……To make up on mind on what to do I took to the internet. While there are varying views about the benefits of tapering, the majority of people lean towards it.
But then my mind said “I think if you take Friday AND Saturday off you’re going to over-taper..”. Again, I went to the internet and got conflicting results.
I’ve made up my mind. I’m going to the gym today. I am not an elite runner who has been running 60+ mile weeks, I’ve only had two runs this week. I’m going to go and get on the elliptical for a bit and then walk on the treadmill for a bit, then spend a good amount of time stretching, focusing on my pesky calf and hips.
What would you do if you were in my situation?? Are you for tapering?
For a 10k you don't really need to taper. Hit the gym today, it won't hurt you physically and it'll do wonders for you mentally.
ReplyDeleteGood luck on your race!
I did go to the gym. I couldn't help myself. I did the elliptical fof 40 minutes and 20 minutes walking incline on the treadmill. It felt great!
DeleteI agree. No taper needed for a 10K. Do what feels good for your body. If you've got some aches and pains, it's time to care for them and rest up a bit, but you don't have to sit on your butt completely.
ReplyDeleteGood luck on Sunday. I love a 10K! Have fun.
Thanks! I may go for a long walk with my daughter today. We actually have no plans. SO weird.
DeleteIn college, our coach would have us taper and we just ran 5k-6k. But we would peak at 40+ miles a week, so maybe that's what makes it different? I agree it is very hard to figure out the whole taper thing and I think a lot of it is personal and what works for your body too. So whatever you do, write it down and make sure to note how well it works! Good luck tomorrow!!
ReplyDeleteThanks for the input! I think I did a good job of listening to my body and did light workouts. I think that it makes a huge difference that you were running so many miles before your races. I was hitting between 25-30.
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