Tapering Tips For Marathon: The Perfect Taper For Running The Best Race Of Your Life!

Jeff Galloway, an American Olympian who has remained a lifetime runner quotes about marathon that, “The Marathon is a competition between your will and your possibilities!” Running a marathon is something about the greatest will, extreme training and practices and the best of the possibilities from all the hard works done on and before the Marathon run. Getting trained for the long run marathon pretty hard and coming to an end of the long run training is something like fantasizing before the real run of marathon begins. Fewer weeks before the marathon run are known for Tapering which requires minimum training and excessive rest so as to get proper recovery period which would help the marathoners to recover self from the long run training continuing since days and weeks before. Tapering is explained to be something which scopes your body to repair, replenish and regroup while preparing for the actual run day.

This current article will put the focus light on Tapering for Marathon and will discuss about some very special tapering tips for marathon. Let you run the best race of marathon with the best tapering tips disclosed in the following array of the article.

Just like the long run training is crucial enough to be aware and be trained in proper way, it is also important to have a trustworthy taper for marathon; and this requires expert advises and best tapering tips for keeping the fine track and run the best marathon. Let us discuss some of the most essential expert tips of tapering for marathon which would help you while the tapering weeks before marathon.

1. Check On The Duration: “Longer the race, longer is the taper!” If you are preparing for the run of a race of 5 KM to 10 KM then keep a tapering period of one week. If you are running half marathon then you require two weeks of tapering before the marathon. While if you are to run the full marathon then start tapering for the marathon three weeks before the final run.
2. Check On The Mileage: The more nearer marathon arrive the less mileage you run during the tapering weeks. Three weeks before marathon if you have been running a distance of 50 miles per week then it must come down to 80% less or may cut short 7 miles less in the third week. It must be 50% less in the second week before marathon and even 50% less during the final one week before marathon. That means it must be fine if you run around 8 miles in the week prior to the marathon.
3. Note The Intensity Of Run: “Time to taper, but keep that fire lit. Bring down the distance but keep the intensity of your favorite mid-week run!” Though it is good to cut down the mileage and duration of training or workouts during the tapering weeks for running marathon, it must be noted that you are not getting down the intensity of your training or the long run training.
4. Rest: If you have known about saying, “Less is more!” then it must be noted that there must be no or very less workouts a week before marathon. Take complete rest couple of days before the marathon.
5. Keep The Stretches: Make sure you are performing the stretches two weeks before the marathon.
6. Nail Care: Cut the long toenails, treat your blisters etc during the tapering period.

Nutrition keeps a great importance for sure! So it is also essential to note down the nutritional guide during the tapering period done before the marathon run. Check them out below.

• Aim at taking health food instead of the diet containing enough of fat. Avoid snack products.
• Keep your body hydrated a week before marathon. Take plenty of water in the tapering days.
• Do not avoid vegetables and fruits. Take plenty of fresh fruits, vegetables along with some protein rich diets while tapering for marathon.
• Don’t try on any new diet a day before marathon. This must be followed while tapering for marathon.
• Avoid coffee a day before marathon which can cause dehydration.

Coming down to the wellness guide during the tapering period before marathon, it can be suggested that keep doing stretches, take proper massage, have ice baths, and have adequate sleep with proper diet while tapering for marathon. Try to keep self happy and refresh your mind.

As they say, “What you seek for is seeking you!” Your well maintained psychological approach is highly essential during the tapering weeks before marathon. In order to have the best of psychological preparation while tapering for marathon, check out the following list.

• Prepare self to eliminate stress and anxiety weeks prior to the marathon.
• Go for reading good books, magazines and articles which provide you enough inspiration and motivate you in being positive during your tapering days before the marathon.
• Be relaxed about the tensed feel of marathon run. This is usually common in every runner.
• Keep away from the contestants or the people who are extremely negative. This will impact your psychological state too.

A known saying comes as, “Rest is the sweet sauce to labor” It is enough good to keep a total rest period before marathon, at least 2 days before the run. Tapering for marathon also include rest and recovery as the essential criteria.

• Intend having lots of good sleep prior to a week before the Marathon.
• Do not over think about the marathon run a day before the run. Let your mind too rest and be in peace.
• Wake up early on the marathon day and finish the routine works early so that you don’t have to rush for things few hours before marathon.
• Keep good relaxation with self massage, stretches, compression, etc.

Now, before we come towards the end of the list of expert tapering tips for marathon, we must mention some other essential tips necessary to follow while tapering. Do check the list below.

• Treat Your Injuries: If you have met with any type of injuries like runner’s knee, hamstring strain etc during the long run training period, make sure you are treating your injuries during the tapering weeks before marathon. Keep rest, follow expert advises for treatment and let your injury heal to its best before the run.
• Entertain Moist Heat Treatments For Chronic Injuries: In case you are going through the troubles of chronic injuries of the long run training then do go for moist heat treatment during tapering weeks so as to heal the injury in a better way. Chronic injuries have a decreased blood flow to the injured site. Treating them with hot water pack in free times can help increasing the rate of blood flow and assist you in healing the injury at an ease.

Follow the expert tapering tips, talk to your professional guide and look for how much benefits you are getting from the perfect taper for marathon run this time. “Training, tapering and running the marathon run hand to hand. Be sure you are not ignoring a single hand.”