A bright and cheery good morning to each of you! I hope your week is going well so far. Mine week is going wonderfully as it’s only a four day work week and I have a great weekend coming up!
Believe it or not, the National Half Marathon is this weekend which means my training has entered taper mode. Come Friday, Theodora, Ali, and I will all head down to Washington, DC via Bolt Bus, ready to rock this half marathon! I’m definitely excited for a taper week as I have trained hard these past few weeks, incorporating cross training and speed training into my training for the first time! Luckily, the results are starting to show as I’ve lost a few pounds and set a new PR in my last NYRR race, last month.
I thought I would share some of my taper week tips and preparation check list with you all.
- Rest: Even though I had a pretty epic weekend, I’m making sure that Sunday through race day I enjoy at least 7 hours of sleep per night. It is important to give your muscles time to heal and recover this week.
- Hydrate: Water is a miracle drug in my book, giving me energy when I’m dragging and keeping me going through even the hardest of workouts. It’s essential that you’re hydrated on race day and this can’t happen from chugging water that day alone. Focus on increasing your water intake all week and possibly throw in a little extra sodium or salt pills the night before the race to help retain some of that water. Also, if you’ve hydrated with a Camel-Bak or water bottle during your training, make sure to bring that same item for race day. You don’t want to try anything new on race day.
- Stretch/Yoga: I find that stretching and yoga help me relax, work out toxins and buildup in my muscles, and prepare my legs for the big day. Make sure to include foam rolling and or the stick in your practice to work out any knots in your legs or tightness in your itband. Make sure not to take any tough yoga classes which may strain your muscles the week of the race. As always, listen to your body. Yesterday, I enjoyed an amazing hot vinyasa class with Lauren at Yoga to the People. Since it’s race week, I didn’t push myself as far into the stretches as I normally would have and found child’s pose more than once during the practice.
- Laundry: This may seem silly but make sure all your favorite running gear, right down to your socks, are clean for race day. More than once, I’ve gone searching for clothes the night before only to realize they are deep in the dirty clothes pile.
- Go shopping early in the week: Head to your favorite running store early in the week to buy your necessary supplies such as Camel Bak cleaner, Shot Blocks, or Gu. You don’t want to wait until Thursday or Friday only to find that they are out of your favorite flavor. I don’t recommend waiting until the Expo either because you never know which vendors or brands will be on site that day.
- Organize your gear early: No later than Thursday night, put all your race day gear in a pile near an outlet. This allows you to charge your electronics (Garmin, iPod, etc) in the same area as your clothes pile so you don’t forget them in the wall when you leave for the race or trip. I have definitely done this at least once and want you all to learn from my mistakes! Make sure to also pack these chargers for the weekend. Yes, they take up extra space, but if you or any running buddies need them during the weekend they are well worth it! Also, make sure to make a packing list for not only race gear, but also the rest of the items you’ll need for the weekend or race day.
7. Make a playlist: If you run with music, you know how important having fun music is for a great run. The upbeat music keeps your running going, even when the going gets tough. Be sure to include a few inspirational favorites, a few surprises, and one song that can get your pace going even when your legs feel like lead. If you’re looking for a few new song suggestions I suggest checking out iTunes list of most popular downloads, or Jes’ playlists here and my latest playlist here.
8. Set a goal: Establish ahead of time what your intention is for the race. Do you want to PR? Do you want to take at least 20 pictures along the course with all your friends? Do you want to finish your first half? Regardless of the goal, having an intention will help keep you strong throughout the race. Some people find it helps to write this intention on their wrist or hand, so they can remember it during the race. My goal for the National Half Marathon is to finish under 2:15.
9. HAVE FUN so you can smile afterwards!
What are your race week suggestions? Is there anything I missed? Are you running the National Half Marathon? If so, what is your bib color?
Great tips (and photos, hehe)! This got me so pumped for the weekend! Good call on the laundry, too (want to do mine for me?).
Happy tapering!
Great advice! I havent run a race in awhile but i would suggest making sure your pre race breakfast is set..dont want to realize you have no bananas if thats what you were planning on eating!
Reading this got me excited for my next “big” race!! It is not until the May, but I still got the little pre-race butterflies just thinking about it! The laundry tip is key too, especially if you have a “go to” race tank or tights. GOOD LUCK! 🙂
Great list – i usually get my stuff together the night before but i think i’m going to take your advice and get it together earlier than that (i usually end up realizing my garmin isn’t charged or i forget something like shot blocks by being in a rush. no bueno!)
Good luck this weekend! 🙂
I also pack a pair of flipflops for after the race… It feels great to take your running shoes off and let your toes move around 🙂
Also running the National Half this weekend (green corral). You’re way more prepared than I am (I’m more lax since I live in DC, I suppose). Good advice (especially the laundry). I would add icing to the list of things to do.
Awesome tips!! Good Luck this weekend!! I just signed up for a bunch of reaces hopefully we will be running one of same 🙂
Great post! The tips are right on. I never thought of checking to make sure laundry is clean! I’d definitely be that person to look for a certain shirt the night before and cry because it was dirty lol.
Great tips! I’ll be referring back to this when I run my first half in May! Good luck this weekend!!
DC NATIONAL HALF MARATHON OR BUSTTTTTTTTTTTT!
You are a FLEXIBLE runner! I wish I could get my heels to the floor in downward dog, my hamstrings are just too tight for it though 🙂
Wow…such great tips…I’m going to use all of them for my half coming up on April 16th.
GOOD LUCK! I can’t wait to hear the recap 🙂
I definitely washed my race outfit the night before last weekend. Oops.
Bookmarking this for reference — I’m planning my first half in the fall and I know I will be scrambling trying to remember everything. Thank you!
Also, LOVE the Adele on your playlist. I have been listening to that album nonstop and even though they aren’t my usual workout tunes (I tend to go more top 40/dance beat kind of stuff), some of those songs on 21 just get me fired up! I think I’m going to add Rumour Has It to the middle of my playlist tomorrow for a mid-workout boost of energy!
Good luck this weekend! I’m running the National Half, as well, and I’m super excited. I’m in the blue corral (#8), which is pretty far back there, but that’s okay. I’ve been home with a sick kid all week, so I haven’t exercised since Sunday. On the one hand, the rest is good, but on the other hand, too much rest makes me feel awfully rusty. We’ll see how it goes.
Best wishes for a great race!
I’m pretty far back in the corrals as well but luckily the chip doesn’t start until you cross the starting line! Good luck and I’m sure the rest has been GREAT for your body!