Taper taper taper! Marathon runners

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pzarnosky
pzarnosky Posts: 256 Member
in Fitness and Exercise
How did you feel during the taper phase of training? Just looking for general input from everyone. 7 days and a wake up from my first marathon! Beyond excited for it! The taper is throwing me a bit though. Honestly I feel stiffer and more achy than I do when I was running higher miles. Just curious what others' experiences are.

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  • SchweddyGirl
    SchweddyGirl Posts: 244 Member
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    You will get phantom aches and pains during taper. Nearly every marathoner does. I always hate taper weeks...I get grumpy, have too much time on my hands, and my body still wants me to shove food in my belly as if I am running a 20 mile run every day. Trust your training. Hydrate, hydrate, hydrate this week. To fill in the gaps during taper week, I usually toss in extra stretching and it helps to ease the aches I get.
  • MeanderingMammal
    MeanderingMammal Posts: 7,866 Member
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    Aviation and achiness are no surprise. Your body is recovering from the stress of training.

    This last week is your opportunity to replenish your fuel, hydrate and relax.
  • SKME2013
    SKME2013 Posts: 704 Member
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    The taper is really important, so take it seriously. Eat a lot of carbs the last week and drink a lot of water. I just finished my fifth marathon (Berlin) and for the first time I took the carb loading seriously. I qualified for Boston. Best of luck with your marathon!
  • ejyennie
    ejyennie Posts: 16 Member
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    Tapering is the hardest part of training! You get all sorts of weird pains, have all this extra time....be careful not to overdo the eating: hydrate wisely and put your feet up. Stretching, massages: all good.
  • MobyCarp
    MobyCarp Posts: 2,927 Member
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    Taper: Physically easy, mentally very difficult.

    0ivnuk2ezxk1.jpg
  • spiriteagle99
    spiriteagle99 Posts: 3,675 Member
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    Odd aches and pains are normal. Watch out you don't catch a cold. I ended up sick right after two of my marathons. Rest as much as you can, but don't worry too much if you're too excited to sleep. Just rest your body. Visualize yourself enjoying the race, crossing the finish line with a big smile on your face. Don't replace running with other exercise. The goal is healing and rest. You'll be amazed at how easy marathon pace feels in the first few miles of your race.
  • pzarnosky
    pzarnosky Posts: 256 Member
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    MobyCarp wrote: »
    Taper: Physically easy, mentally very difficult.

    0ivnuk2ezxk1.jpg

    Lol love it! Thank you everyone for the input! I'm really excited for this! Not loving the weather outlook so far but it will get done either way.
    I'm definitely feeling restless and my routine is thrown off but rested legs will be wonderful come Sunday!
  • janejellyroll
    janejellyroll Posts: 25,763 Member
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    Tapering is the worst! I just did a marathon, so the experience is very vivid in my mind. My body ached, I felt irritated all the time, I was jittery, and I felt like I was on the verge of a cold (which never materialized).

    All I wanted to do was run. Fortunately, I was prepared and knew what to expect (because it happened last year too) and I was able to get through it.

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