Monday, May 14, 2007

Taper???

So here is a question….

Since I have this 50k on June 3rd I am questioning a taper. This event is more of a stepping stone in training for the 50 mile in November. I am not so much focused on time rather than the experience of going beyond the 26.2 mile distance. Over the past several weeks I have maintained at least 40 miles a week. Sometimes I feel that even this number is far too low based on my overall goals.

So should I taper, maintain, or continue to build?

Run Happy!

Robin

11 comments:

Stephanie said...

What works best for me is keeping my miles up until one week before the race. Then take it slow and not run at all 4 days before the race. And also don't experiment new things the weeks before. Keep your routine, so you won't get injured. And that's about it. If you have run a marathon before, then adding 5 miles is no biggie!!!!!!

You will rock this one!!!

Marcy said...

Since I'm a novice I won't give you any advice. Anything I say will just be talking out of my butt :P You'll do the right thing no matter what you decide :)

Marcy said...

Oops I forgot, did you really shop for 2 hrs? I'm soooooo jealous!!! I need some retail therapy!

Unknown said...

With that level of mileage I would go with something along the lines of doing your longest long-run about 3 weeks out and beginning your taper about two weeks out. Cut your mileage down by about 30% with two weeks to go and about another 30% with a week to go. But continue to do the same number of runs, just shorten the distance and maintain the intensity. That should leave you feeling rested without feeling flat.

Unknown said...

hi, robin. i've only done one 50K, and like you i was averaging about 40-45 miles/week a few weeks leading to it. the week before the race, i only did a 5-mile run on wed (the race was on sat). it seemed to work for me--my legs felt fresh during the race and felt strong til the finish.

Jason The Running Man said...

Hey robin...good seeing you and Scott Saturday morning it was fun cheering David on! I like the advice from Chad on your mileage. I would pay close attention to what your body is telling you as well...just my 2 cents.

Neese said...

Hi Robin, I found you via Jason's blog, I'm here in Greenville, best wishes on your upcoming 50k!!

Randy - Maniac #788 said...

Robin - I gotta admit that I'm like Marcy and anything that I offer you would be coming from thin air, but you seem to be well prepared, like some others have suggested I wouldn't try anything new at this point and just focus on what you know and do best.
I have to admit I'll have to do some checking to see how far that truly is.

Mendy said...

Robin, Of course, you know my running background, so I'm not one to offer advice on a 50K. But, it sounds like to me that you're doing the right thing - really listening to your body, stepping back to make sure you're doing it all the way you should. You'll make the right choices and the 50K will be a walk in the park!

David said...

This may be a crazy thought, but is the 50k an "A" race, or a milestone? You *could* use it as a stepping-stone run on the way to your 50 miler ultra, incorporating it into your increased mileage, with taper following. Does that make sense?

If you do 26.2 in a training run, what difference is that to an organized marathon? Your expected results? If you don't really care about your time, only completion, then it's essentially a training run on your way to something else.

Answer that, and you know how much taper to do before this event.

My .02

seagull junker said...

with the mileage you are doing i agree with chad. you want to toe the line with a little bounce in the step and rested legs.

with higher weekly mileage you can go with a shorter taper becuse your legs recover a lot quicker after long runs.

remember long runs are ment to just have time on your feet. unless you are really seasoned at super high mileage then you can throw in a tempo pace mid run for example.

but for us mortals long runs are just that, long and slow. if you had a heartrate monitor on you would almost swear you were walking. seriously, that slow.

have a good taper and enjoy the race. and with a good taper you will be finishing the race strong and feeling good.