Taper.

No, I'm not talking about tapering drywall butt joints (don't ask) or reminiscing about the infamous pottery wheel scene in Ghost where Patrick Swayze is helping Demi Moore taper the clay after he totally ruined her vase in the making while "Unchained Melody" is playing in the background.

"Tapering is a special training period immediately preceding the major competition during which the training stimulus is reduced in a systematic non-linear fashion to achieve a peak in performance. Optimal physiology, technique and psychology are all outcomes of tapering. " (Thanks to the Australian Sports Commission for this definition-  I don't know.  It was one of the first Google results!).

It is the final stage of training. The culmination of 5 months of training. You would think that a runner would love the opportunity that tapering affords them. Reduced weekly mileage which means more downtime and a chance to rest. What's not to love about that?  

I've always looked at tapering as a love hate relationship. On the one hand, you reduce the miles that you run after plateauing at the 21 mile long run. This gives you a bit more free time and a little less pressure of trying to fit all the training into an already hectic daily schedule. 

It gives your body time to repair and prepare (oh, I like that one!  It even rhymes!) itself for the big day. Kind of like a car front end alignment. Much needed after hitting all those potholes this spring. It is also a time to reflect and prepare mentally. All good things you would think right?

I liken tapering to the theme song of that 80's classic "The Facts of Life":

You take the good, you take the bad,
you take them both and there you have
The facts of life, the facts of life.

We've talked about the good.  Now we talk about the bad.  It is a challenge to train for so long with the goal to steadily increase mileage week after week and then all of a sudden wind it down to what seems like almost nothing over a couple of weeks.  It goes against everything that you have been doing.  Your body and mind wants to run more to keep up with the regime that it was used to. 

There are those great mind games that kick in during taper.  What else would your brain and body do with the extra time that it has now?  You know that you have done everything possible to train and be ready for the big day.  However, there is that certain moment when you start second guessing everything.  I mean everything.  Did I train enough?  Did I do enough hill workouts?  Should I have done a few more tempo runs? Is my refueling plan solid?  It takes mental toughness to put that all aside and not listen to your head.  I look at it and say that everything that I have done and my plan is what it is.  I'm not going to change it now even though part of me wants to.  Why?  Because I did it all when I wasn't worrying about things and had a more clear head. 

How about even more head game action?  "Please sir, may I have another?"  Why not!  It is crazy the things that my mind comes up with during taper.  The paranoia sets in and takes a death grip on all logical thinking.  Did that person two offices down from me just sneeze?  Did you just seriously cough in the same room that I am?  Now I have to hold my breath for as long as I can hoping that the contaminated air sinks to the floor before it makes its way over to me.  What was that twitch I just felt?  Why do I have that pain in my knee all of a sudden (both of these are things we runners like to refer to as "phantom pains")?  The desire to want to wipe everything down with Purell.  Then spray it with Lysol just for old times sake.  Why is it that there are so many people on crutches a couple of weeks leading up to Patriot's Day?  Stay away!  Heaven forbid if somebody with them walks in front of me.  Sorry everyone, I'm not in my right mind right now so please forgive me for how I may treat you.  It is as if every person on the face of the earth has the plague.  Is it normal to take a paper towel with you after washing your hands in a public bathroom and then use it to open the door when leaving to protect your pristine hand from the germ laden handle?  No?  Oh... 

I guess that I should probably just go wrap myself in bubble wrap and then climb into an inflatable bubble for the rest of this week.  That sounds pretty logical and a very sane option to me right now! Go Taper Town!

Until next time, keep on runnin'!
 

Farts, Burps, Chaffing, Snots and Blisters.

What a combination?  Nobody said that distance running was a glorious sport.  It is mentally/physically challenging and comes along with the aforementioned "things".  But you know what?  I love it.  I love it because it also gives such a sense of accomplishment and allows me to push and challenge myself all the while becoming a better and more skilled athlete.  Oh yeah, if you're lucky, you get the infamous "runner's high" too.  All these positives completely out way the negatives and helps to fuel my desire to run.  What's a blister here or chaffing there anyway?  Well, I guess it depends on where the chaffing occurs right?  Nah. 

Our longest team training run of 21 miles from the starting line in Hopkinton to the top of Heartbreak Hill took place yesterday.  The bus ride out to Hopkinton along the Mass Pike kind of put everything into perspective.  How?  Well, as the miles kept passing by and we were getting farther and farther away from our meeting place at Boston College, I realized how far we had to run.  A lot different than the out and back runs that we typically do on Saturday mornings.

OK, yes, I'll admit it.  I farted, burped, had a bit of chaffing, blew snots and got a blister or two throughout the run yesterday.  I'm human, and I'm a runner so who cares in the end?  But, even with all of that, it was an absolutely amazing and awesome run.  Nothing about it was glorious.  Nothing at all.  It was snowing, sleeting, cold, windy and wet.  A gritty run to say the least.  To be honest, that was all perfectly fine with me.  I think that this was one of my best runs at that distance.  It kept me on my toes and helped to keep my mind in the game.  Making slight adjustments to my overall plan as I the miles increased along the rolling hills on the course.  It was a great opportunity to, as our coaches put it, make this run a "dress rehearsal".  Which it truly was. 

I have tweaked and finalized my running plan based on yesterday's run.  I think that biggest thing that I'm going to do differently than in previous runs is to ditch the music.  Yes, I cannot believe that I am even saying that but I am.  The second thing is to not look at my GPS watch that often during the run.  Both of these changes are going to allow me to just enjoy and take in everything that is the Boston Marathon.  I have nothing to prove to anyone and everything to gain from the experience.  I want to take it all in and not be caught zoning out in la la land with my music.  Did I just say "la la land"?  Crap, I guess that I did.  I'm going to let my body and how it is feeling dictate my pace.  Not some arbitrary number that I just came up with when someone asked "What time are you shooting for?" or some number that I want to beat myself up to obtain.  Just enjoy all 26.2 glorious fart, burp, chaffed, snotty and blistered filled mile.

Until next time, keep on runnin'!

18 And Life.

Ricky was a young boy
He had a heart of stone
Lived 9 to 5 and worked his
Fingers to the bone

Thank you Skid Row for that 1989 classic "18 and life"!  But, what the heck does this have to do with running?  Absolutely nothing at all except for the number "18". It is the only song that I could think of that referenced the number "18".

 

This past Sunday concluded lucky week 13 which included a team long run of 18 miles on Saturday.  It has been great to train on the marathon course every week as it becomes more and more comfortable and relaxing every time. It has afforded me the opportunity to make slight tweaks to my strategy every week. A fine tuning of sorts. Back off on my pace on this hill but take that one a bit faster. Really concentrate on breathing through this this section.  Begin fueling at that point. The course has become second nature with all of its twists and turns. Heartbreak Hill is becoming like a good friend now. Something that I truly look forward to each week. It is no longer what was an insurmountable "thing" in the way of getting to the finish line. It has helped me become a much more disciplined runner by forcing me to stay focused on the fundamentals during these long runs.

18 and life you got it
18 and life you know
Your crime is time and it's
18 and life to go 

Wow, did that song really come out in 1989?  26 years ago?!  Running by all accounts is looked at by most as just a physical sport. However, as most runners will tell you, it is just as much mental as it is physical.  You're mind can really challenge you especially on long runs with a lot of miles.  There is plenty of time for your head to really start playing games.  That is why I focus on both the physical and mental aspects on the long runs.

This week's long run tomorrow is going to be 19 sloshy and drenched, but glorious miles in the rain.  I guess that I should start thinking of songs to sing during the run.  Maybe "Singing in the Rain"?  or "Raindrops Keep Falling on My Head"? or how about "Purple Rain"?

Until next time, keep on runnin'!

Let The Tapering Begin.

The Boston Marathon is 21 days away!

Three weeks to go.  This has been a long journey since starting training back in the beginning of December.  Long runs. Early morning runs. Evening runs. Lots of refueling gels and sports drinks.  Trying to balance training, work and family.

Taper.  I'm not talking about a lovely wax dinner candle used to set the mood for fine dining.  I'm referring to reducing the number of miles that I run in the remaining three weeks leading up to the marathon.  The purpose of tapering is to allow the restocking of depleted glycogen supplies and the repair of damaged tissue from the weeks of hard training.  In essence, it is giving my body the chance to recover and to be in peak condition for the big day. 

This process calls for a reduction of miles by 20 to 25 percent per run three weeks out.  A further reduction of 20 to 25 percent per run two weeks out.  The final week before the marathon calls for a few six milers early in the week. 

The process of reducing mileage can be seen as a good thing on one hand but also difficult on the other.  The thought of being able to cut down on mileage each week is so inviting and welcomed this far into training.  However, it can also have a negative mental impact by giving you extra time to start questioning your training.  Did I do enough to prepare myself for this race?  Did I run enough?  Should I have focused more on my speed?  Should I have put more hill work into my weekly training?  All good questions.  However, deep down, I know that I've done the best that I can.  I just have to keep reminding myself of this fact whenever I begin to question things with the extra free time that I'll have on my hands.  Questiong things is expected and has already begun to some degree.  It is just another aspect of marathon training to be prepared for.  This mental component can be just as hard to train for as the physical component.  You have to learn to take complete control of the head games and put everything in perspective.  Mental strength + physical strength = Athlete.  Hello world, my name is Keith and I'm an athlete.

Until next time, keep on runnin'!

Mental.

I was talking with a colleague the other day at the water cooler, sorry, "water bubbler".  She asked me how my training was going.  I responded with "really good, cold, but really good".  I suggested, "hey, you should give it a try". She quickly replied "I couldn't do that".  I replied with "oh sure you could, come on".  It is what she said next that really made me stop and think. "It is all mental beyond the actual physical running.  I couldn't do the mental piece of it".  You know what?  She was absolutely right. It is very much mental. I never really stopped and thought about it like that until now. 

For me, running is an outlet that helps me clear my head and unwind from the pressure and stress in any given day.  Running is a solitude sport for me. My training, just me. Pushing myself to get going at 4:30 in the morning for runs, just me. Running races and continually striving for better, you guessed it.  Me, myself & I (love that song from De La Soul).

I have to push myself through all of the mental challenges that come with running. I learned that the hard way during my first marathon last fall.  I thought that I was ready for anything. That I could conquer this dastardly villain. Standing proud, arms crossed and chest held high. My Superman cape flapping in the breeze behind me (yes, there are tights involved too but of the running variety). I had physically trained as much as I could.  It was around mile 18 when the mental piece kicked in.  The dreaded wall. The part of training that I hadn't focused on.  The part that I had not fully experienced before and that I was absolutely not prepared for.  I focused too much on just getting the miles in and not enough on keeping my head in the game the entire time.  Hitting the wall that day was probably the best thing for me as I learned a lot of valuable lessons and have been able to become a much better runner from it.

"Proud, I'm proud of what I am.  That's me myself and I.  It's just me myself and I" (You've got to love those 80's songs).

Until next time, keep on runnin'!