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tune up race

Tapering For A Tune-Up Race

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3/28/11

6 miles easy

57:30

9:35 avg pace

Brr, still chilly Philly here…with no end in sight.  Waaah!

As I mentioned yesterday, my training this week will be switched up a bit to allow for a mini-taper for Sunday’s Cherry Blossom 10-Miler.  I really want to PR in this race (previous 10-mile PR is 1:23) but I still need to maintain my weekly mileage and key workouts.  Also, since I’m knee deep into the Monster Month, my legs aren’t as fresh for racing.   So this mini-taper is really necessary.  So how do you finagle a mini-taper into marathon training for a tune-up race?

With the race on Sunday, I know I want 2 days of complete rest (meaning no running; an easy yoga class is OK).  This has worked well for me in the past.  So Friday and Saturday are mandatory rest days.  I got my easy run out of the way today and I will do my long run tomorrow morning (thankfully, it’s only 15 miles this week).  This will allow enough time for recovery before Sunday.  That leaves a tempo run and speed work.  I’m counting my race on Sunday as my speed work for this week (I will be running like someone is chasing me) and my tempo run will be on Thursday.  The tempo will also be at an easier pace (goal marathon pace) so I can recover faster.  For you visual people:

MON:  easy run
TUE:  long run
WED:  rest/yoga
THU:  tempo
FRI:  rest/yoga
SAT:  rest
SUN:  race

I’m still getting in my 39 miles for the week and still hitting my key workouts.

I’m a big advocate for doing tune-up races during marathon or half marathon training.  Your tune-up race can be great practice for the “big event”.  But sometimes fitting them in your training schedule can be difficult.  It’ll require some planning and a little knowledge about your own recovery but it’s totally worth it 🙂

Do you have any mini-taper tips?  How do you handle racing and training at the same time?

The Importance of Rest and Recovery

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Today is a rest day for me.  I’ve got a 17-miler to do tomorrow and some easy miles on Sunday.

I get asked all the time if I run every day.  I don’t and I don’t recommend it.  I’ve always ran 5 days per week with 2 rest days.  For this training cycle, I’m running 4 days per week with 2 days of yoga.  That still leaves me with 1 day of rest.  Figuring out what is right for you takes some trial and error.  Whatever you decide, having a day of rest is crucial both mentally and physically.

After a hard speed workout or long run are you stronger?  A better runner?  The answer is no.  Hard training takes a toll on your body – glycogen depletion, tissue breakdown, fatigue…just to name a few.  Training provides a stimulus for your body to adapt, but recovery is when you allow your body to adapt and improve (source).  Ah, makes sense, right?  That is why training plans follow the hard/easy principle:  1 or more hard days should be followed by 1 or more easy days.  An easy day could be an easy run, cross-training, or complete rest.  Of course, there are some exceptions to this rule.  In certain circumstances it may make sense to do 2 hard days back-to-back.  Say you plan on doing a half marathon as a tune-up race during training.  You may want to taper a bit before the race so your legs are fresh.  It would make sense in this scenario to do 2 hard days back-to-back to allow yourself a day of rest or 2 before the race.

Why follow the hard/easy principle?  To prevent glycogen depletion (talked about here in an earlier post), illness, and to minimize DOMS (delayed onset muscle soreness)(source).  DOMS is caused by microscopic muscle damage, which leads to inflammation and then soreness.  Doing a hard workout when you have a case of the DOMS will not only be miserable, but likely won’t be intense enough to improve fitness.

I expect a case of the DOMS after my 17-miler tomorrow.  The “feels like” temp is supposed to be 3 degrees.  Does that mean I can skip the ice bath post-run? !   🙂