USA Fit San Antonio

"Tapering for Improvement: Less really is more"

Awesome weather we had last week and with our shorter "tapered" distance, what a boost of confidence it is to see that sticking with the training schedule really does pay off! If you are like me, you have come to appreciate Saturdays where we drop our long run miles after a weekend of building mileage, or "tapering" as it is endearingly referred to by marathon runners.

When runners build up then decrease mileage it is called a taper. I just call it plain awesome and a reward for our training! You can also call it "recovery week" because this is when we are actually getting stronger. As we work hard on hills, do speed sessions, build long run mileage, we are working hard both physically and mentally. Tapering gives the body some much needed rest to recover from the shock we have been placing on it. Your body and possibly your mind will get tired during our season and you might feel you lose that spring in your step. So, with decreasing our mileage every other week we are allowing our bodies to replenish what we had in our "long run bank". Research has shown that slow progressive reductions in mileage peaks are more effective than sudden reductions in improving your performance, meaning build & fall back, build & fall back. As we continue the season, you will see this series of peaks and valleys until our last long run, the benchmark run next month, three weeks before race day which then we will start the real taper. In order to make the shorter distance of a taper count, focus on the quality of your form, fine-tune your cadence, pay attention to your breathing, and run from your core. Do not over-do it by it thinking "more is more" as you risk burn-out or even injury. We want you to keep running and to love it!

So take the decrease in miles as seriously as you take your overall training to become a stronger runner. Keep focusing on your end goal; yall are doing fantastic! "Mental will is a muscle that needs exercise, just like the muscles of the body." Quote by Lynn Jennings, National Running Hall of Famer set 10 American records and three-time World Cross-Country champion.

~ Signed, Your Red Coaches

Orange

Tapering

Taper: to diminish gradually.

If you've looked at the remainder of this season's training schedule, you may have noticed that we curtail the mileage drastically after our 21-miler on October 24. The last three weeks before the marathon make up a critical part of the training, namely the rest period prior to the race. During this time, damaged muscle tissue recovers and body chemistry normalizes. Immune function and muscle strength improve. During this period, stay limber with stretching but don't try anything new. Take this time to pay increased attention to nutrition. Select nourishing and healthy foods, add a little extra protein to your diet, and limit "junk food." You won't burn as many calories as before and may experience a small weight gain. Avoid this by watching your portions but don't sweat it--just look at the extra pounds as running fuel. Hydrate well throughout this period. Several days before the marathon, start loading with carbohydrates (more about this in a later article). Our pre-race dinner is just the ticket!

Personally, the taper period is my favorite part of the training season. I get to slow down, eat a lot of pasta, reflect on the gains I've made and the fun I've had throughout the season, and look forward to an exciting race!

Coach Ute

Purple

Tapering and Recovery

Hello, once again, to all our Purple runners and walkers!

How was last Saturday's training session? Have you been able to keep up with your midweek workouts? As we prepare for another Saturday training session, it is important to note that we will be increasing our mileage making today's topic very timely: tapering and recovery.

We've briefly covered these topics during our past workouts. This week, we will be going into greater detail - specifically, the need to taper or adjust our training sessions throughout the week to allow our bodies time to recover. With increased mileage, we are more likely to become injured. With proper rest and treatment, we allow our bodies time to recover and rebuild muscle so we're better prepared to continue our training.

Tapering can consist of cutting back on distances and intensity of our workouts during the week. Since our mileage will continue to increase on Saturday mornings, adjusting your weekday workouts will help. You can also change the weekdays you train if you're energy level has been low recently between sessions. Try to avoid training on Fridays if you know you're going to put in high mileage on Saturday morning. It's important to listen to your body, and recognize if you're feeling either physically or mentally tired or exhausted. If you haven't been keeping up with proper stretching techniques prior and after a workout session - definitely start dedicating time to this as it may help. You may also want to begin thinking about getting a massage after an exhausting training session. There has been mixed opinions about whether a massage helps or hurts your recovery. Everyone is different and our bodies may react differently to different treatments. There is still plenty of time before the actual marathon. Now is the perfect time to try out different recovery techniques to find what best works for you. The night before or the day of the marathon is not the time to test out new techniques or practices.

The goal of the tapering period is also to try to get additional rest, i.e. sleep, if this is something you haven't been getting enough. You can't begin to feel rested if you continue to exhaust your energy reserves without replenishing them. Much like gasoline or battery in a car, without the necessary components, you might look fine on the outside - but you won't get far.

As we get further in the training program, you will see that we will again focus on the need to taper your training sessions. You might even want to consider this a practice period and try different approaches to your weekly workouts. We will continue to increase our mileage as the weeks pass, and about mid-October - we will begin to lower our distances as we prepare for the actual marathon/half-marathon. (Yes, this would be considered tapering.)

Make sure to continue focusing on eating properly and staying hydrated. We can't emphasis this enough.

If you're having any difficulties or have questions for us, please feel free to ask any of your coaches. That's what we're here for! We live for those moments.

Hope to see everyone soon!

Aqua

Hello again fellow Aqua Group members!!! Hope you're all having a great week and that you truly enjoyed the beautiful weather we had this past Saturday morning - it was great to get away from the heat and humidity.....maybe we'll get lucky again this week. As we continue to move forward in our training and the mileage increases, once again, we might be feeling a few of those extra aches and pains that no one really wants to recognize and/or talk about. Because of the constant strain we subject ourselves to; it's no wonder that our bodies might be feeling a little run down and/or tired at this point. Well believe it or not, there will come a time in our training when we are actually going to slow down and take it easy a little. This week our focus is on "tapering" - not really something you need to be worrying about just yet, but a short preview will definitely give you an idea of what to expect once the time comes.

As runners, we fail to recognize that one of the most important parts of "marathon training" is actually the taper phase. Tapering is recognized as that time when we decrease our weekly and long run mileage in order to prevent injury, maximize glycogen storage and preserve muscular fitness. This generally takes place during the final two to three weeks of your training and is vitally important so that you give your legs enough time to recover and be well rested prior to the big day. How much you taper really depends on how much time you spend running throughout your entire training regime. Everyone is different so scale your running down to whatever you feel is reasonable to you. A good general guideline for tapering is to lower your distances and intensity by approximately 30%; therefore, if you're averaging 35-40 miles/week, you should probably cut back to about 25-30miles/week.

A few other things to consider during the taper phase are as follows:

Physical Preparation:

· Cut back on the distance and intensity of your training runs, stay away from long, hard workouts

Truly relax and enjoy your "rest days" (read a book, watch a movie, etc)

· Listen to your body. Should you not feel like running, don't do it....an important rule of thumb

is "Less is Best"

· Keep stretching as much as possible, try and keep those legs loose and relaxed

· Consider getting a leg massage if you feel you need it (no more than 2 days prior to the marathon)

Nutritional Issues

· As you reduce your mileage, realize that you will not burn as many calories as you had been, so you may gain one or two pounds if you don't cut back on the quantity of your servings early in the week

· Continue to eat healthy and nutritious foods rather than snack/high fat products

· Hydrate well before the run as well as during the carbohydrate loading period (usually 3 day prior to the race). Carbs tend to convert to glycogen easier with high water intake therefore promoting some weight gain, but don't panic.....those extra pounds will prove to be useful energy for you during the marathon

· Try and stay away from salad items and vegetables (roughage) as they may cause digestive problems on race day. Stick to water during the evening meal....coffee and tea contain caffeine which can make it difficult for you to sleep

Rest and Relaxation

· Focus on trying to get as much sleep as possible the week before the race. The most important night for sleep is Friday night as many runners are nervous and find it difficult to sleep soundly the night before the actual marathon.

Bottom line my fellow runners, the obvious conclusion about "tapering" is that resting prior to a big race is, or at least should be, an important part of our training process in order for us to perform at our best. Try and remember, less is best.....you've worked hard all season, so why not enjoy a few days of well deserved R&R.

In the meantime Team Aqua, continue to move forward and train hard. See you all on Saturday and Happy Running!!!

Coach Laurie, Coach Rose and Coach Mary