Tapering

Lots of peeps at the moment are stressing about either being injured and not having run much for the last few weeks or we are tierd, feel sluggish.

Does anyone have experiences which will cheer us up, something along the lines of ......

I got injured after my LSR and didnt run for 3 weeks then PB-ed  (BTW that is an example, not what has happened to me).

My prob at the mo is that I am still really tierd, legs want to run but HR way high for normal pace.

Comments

  • fat facefat face ✭✭✭
    I ran a marathon last year having not run at all in the taper and PB'd by 22 minutes.
  • are you having a laugh FF? Why didnt you run in the taper?
  • fat facefat face ✭✭✭
    Because I was injured. I set off on marathon not really knowing if I would get beyond 2 miles.
  • thats amazing you managed to PB by 22mins, well done. 
  • fat facefat face ✭✭✭
    But my old PB was a bit pooh though.
  • and that conversation was going so well...

    image

  • First marathon I got IT band syndrome and couldn't run for 4 weeks before the marathon. I was even limping on my way to the start line.

    Finished in 4 40 - no pain at all after the first mile. I had been hoping for 4 30 but it was also pretty hot and all things considered (trained up in only  10 weeks) I thought that was pretty good.

    Second marathon, still had IT band prolems and then developed what I thought was a stress fracture - shooting pain at very specific point in shin. Pysio said not a fracture but a tear - to rest.  Rested for whole of taper bar a couple of short runs - took 30 mins off marathon time

    True stories - that do you?

    (third marathon -  8 weeks after the 2nd , the IT band thing got me and i had to walk 12.5 miles but we don't need to talk about that). 

  • my second mara I hardly ran for the last four weeks (one week recovering from an ultra, one week of having a cold, followed by two weeks recovering from large bruised swollen calf due to an employee of Cargo Home Stores knocking a six foot metal display over onto me) and took 33 mins off my PB.

    Very disappointed that CHS didn't give me a discount on my shopping that day though....
  • Am loving these stories, they're making me feel a LOT better about my disastrous taper.

    Keep 'em coming image

  • fat facefat face ✭✭✭

    Oh and there's the taper that I never did because I didn't need to because I had done no training at all.

    I got round in 5:15 if I remember correctly. It was a long time ago in my drunken students days (or should that be daze!!) 

  • I injured my back three weeks before the Paris marathon unloading the dishwasher image  three years ago and didn't run at all again till the marathon.  Still managed to finish it only thee minutes outside my PB, and that still remains my second fastest marathon!
  • Hey guys,

    Everyone talks about PB but never actually say what it is!?

    I have trained on and off for 10 weeks for a marathon its on the 26th of sept. Have 4 sundays to go and then a week before the run!

    I am panicking as my longest run has been 10 miles at around an average 12 minute mile.I know i am a snail literally!

    I wanted to try and get up to 20 miles but it will mean doing 13m this sunday (26th) 16m (5th ) and then 20m (12th) I am not this is a great idea

    Firstly because i am increasing the runs by 3 miles and secondly am running to long to close to the run.

    Would you agree?

    Any suggestions or advice re tapering and whether i really have time to do so would be much appreciated as i really am a novice that am just trying my best

    Thanks so much!

  • Tricky one with your longest run being 10 miles and your marathon being 4 ish weeks away.  I read somewhere that if you run/walk you can double your distance so if you can run 10 you can run walk 20.

    I think in your situation I would be inclined to try and make my week 6 days so can you do your long run on say sat this week (if you did sunday last week) then sat the next week then fri the next week...  That way you will have an extra couple of days before your marathon after your long run.

    It sounds as if you havnt done a great deal of training so you prob wouldnt need to taper like everyone else as you have not got a lot to taper from, however, you do still need time between your 20 miler and your marathon.

     I would suggest 15 run walk this weekend, I know it is a 5 mile step up but if you do 25 mins run 5 mins walk you will hopefully be OK. Then next weekend 20 miles run/walk then the following weekend.  If that doesnt knacker you too much during and the next few days I would be inclined to do the same again the following weekend but if poss do it on fri or sat.  Dont do more than 20 though.  If the 15 is a real struggle then step up to 18 the following week then 20 the week after.  If you do the first 20 but are knackered afterwards and the next few days then go back to 15 the following week.

    Hope this is clear and helps, that is what I would do, others might have other suggestions

  • True story...

    I picked up an injury in the first week of my three week taper. It was my first marathon, so was very, very stressed. Didn't run at all, not more than 2-3 steps for me to be convinced it still hurt. Then ran 3.58 and had a brill marathon. When I set off I had no idea how far I'd be able to run. Might not be the fastest marathon debut, but I was relieved to get to the start line at all. So a dreadful taper really does not have to mean a dreadful run!

  • Thanks so much Hellen I am a bit disappointed that I am going to be run/ walking at this rate but given that I did 10 last week and am in pain and the fact that I haven't got much time means I will have to try another tried and tested strategy.

    Following last week LSR I have gone pain in my knees and glutes, a physio said it's due to instability in my core so to add to all this I now have to stenghten my core aswell!
    So I will definately try 25 min walk and 5 min runthis Saturday. Do you suggest that I try thi sall the way in the marathon I am just a bit worried that this means I will take forever to complete. As I think at my pace I just about cover 3 miles in half an hour so thus means at this rate I will run /walk in about 11 hours. Otlr am I missing something!!??
    Thank you all for all the helpful rips and suggestions really appreciate it!
  • And sorry for all the typos in previous message typing this on my phone and of you post a longish reply you writing gets overwritten by some other words so can't check!
  • yes, if you run walk 20 miles in 25/5 then do that in the marathon or you could try 3miles run walk 5 mins but 25/5 is easier to work out.

    IF you take 30mins to do 3 miles then that is 10mm.  If you dont have walk breaks then you will slow down.  If you take walk breaks you wil delsy that slowing down or maybe not even slow down.

    I think your 11 hours is wrong!! In March I had a 30 mile race, I had been injured for 2 months before and done 12 miles as my longest run (previous to that I had done loads of long runs and marathons so did have the endurance).  I decided to do the race even though I wasnt sure I would finish.  I did 2miles run 2-3mins walk (I chose that because it fitted in with where the CPs were).  when I was running I was running slower than 10mm which is your pace.  I was prob going at 10.30-11mm.  I finished the 30 miles in 5.50 so if you are running at 10mm, even if you slow down a little.  With the walk breaks you will prob be around 5 hours.

  • Walking 25 mins and then running 5 mins just sounds plain wrong to me.  It shouldnt take you 25 mins to recover from a 5 min run ? You should be able to walk a whole marathon in under 7 hours anyway.
  • Thanks H you are star. You are definately an elite in my eyes 30 miles well done!!
    I personally don't think I can keep up 3 miles at 10 pace so will say 11 to 11.30 and hope that adrenaline pushes me a little more! I will try this on Saturday definately! I am a little upset at the mo because I did 10 mile on Sunday and felt okish on the run (couldn't do more tho) but have felt terribly tired the last few days and have got a sharpish pain in my left glutes area- just hoping it doesn't persist otherwise I don't see me going anywhere!
    As you have been so helpful another q if I may do you recommend a watchany make in particular and any other kit advise? Thinking of getting myself a bum bag to carry jelly beans and a few energy gels.
  • C I believe we are talking about 25 min run and 5 min walk not the other way around lol I am not that bad just yet!
  • S - dunno about watch, I use a garmin

    For a bumbag I use a Nathan 10km , is very comfy

    http://www.sportsaver.co.uk/acatalog/Waistpacks.html

Sign In or Register to comment.