How is Jo Managing the Marathon Taper?
This is it.
Jo is a week out from the Twin Cities Marathon. She has done everything she can up to this point. Now, all she has to do is stay healthy… and sane. Losing her sanity is probably more realistic than getting injured. Managing the marathon taper can wreak havoc on peoples’ emotional stability.
How is Jo handling herself?
The Marathon Jitters
Jo has had a very successful training segment up until this point. She was able to remain injury free, came out with only a few chafing scars, and lost zero toenails along the way. Success I would say! With the marathon only a few short days away, Jo is learning to cope with the side effects of the taper.
For some, the taper is the best part about marathon training. When you have put in copious amounts of time training for a marathon, it would only be logical that cutting back on mileage and using this time to let your body rest would be a good thing. Unfortunately, sometimes, the taper is a dreaded place to be. The amount of time you would usually spend running has to put towards other things, or nothing at all.
Watching your favorite morning show because you don’t need to put in two-a-days should be fun, but many find that once running has become part of their routine, it’s hard to take it out. This is where Jo is right now. She has spent the past few months pushing her body to the limit, and now all she has left to do is run the marathon.
When she initially started this training segment, she thought tapering would be easy. Now, she finds herself irritable, antsy, and anxious. Her morning runs were a good chance for her to prep for the day and come to an emotionally good place before she dove into work.
Her morning runs are no more than thirty minutes now, and she has had to take out afternoon runs. She has so much free time, and no idea what to do with it! Her boyfriend is on a work trip this week as well, which means her habit of nagging on someone is becoming drastically decreased. How should she spend her extra time
She doesn’t want to screw up the last week.
Things To Do During your Taper
Jo visits her friend who has run many a marathon, seeking advice on what her taper should look like. After a good long heart to heart, Jo has decided to put a lot of her energy into work. She schedules early dinner dates (so she still gets to bed) with friends during the week to keep her feeling relaxed.
Luckily, Netflix just added a bunch of new seasons to their library so after careful selection, Jo has decided on a “New Girl” marathon for marathon week. It seemed only fitting that she watch a show in the form of a marathon. She has also made sure she has everything purchased and ready to go for Sunday morning so she doesn’t have any last minute anxiety attacks.
There are only a few more sleeps until the Twin Cities marathon. Jo’s legs are feeling good and ready, and her mind is calm and collected.
How are you feeling? Are you ready to go? How do you approach the taper? Let us know and share some of your thoughts about the taper!
