Tapering

You've finally made it to the best part of training...taper week.  For the past seventeen weeks you have steadily built endurance.  With each new week, like it or not, you've added 5 minutes to the duration of your run, bringing the total last week to 60 minutes.  An hour of non-stop running--that's not easy in anyone's book.  Congratulations for sticking with it and going the distance.

This week, the upward training curve stops.  Running 6.2 miles shouldn't take much longer than an hour, so your mind and muscles are now fully trained and know what to expect.  You've built up enough strength, endurance, and mental fortitude to survive a 10K.  Now it's time to concentrate on surviving it well.

You're one week from race day, which means it's time to cut back.  You read that correctly--cut back!  You've brought your racing fitness up to the desired level, now it's time to reduce the fatigue of training and rest.  During this final week of training, you'll cut the duration of your runs in half, with complete rest the day before your race.  Sounds good, doesn't it?  Tapering will ensure you have enough energy reserves to perform well and reduce the risk of a last minute injury that could take you out of the event entirely.  By the end of this week of relative rest, you'll be ready and willing to push yourself to perform, so enjoy the well-deserved easy assignment.

Schedule for the week:  

day 1 - run 30 minutes     day 4 - run 25 minutes
day 2 - run 30 minutes     day 5 - run 20 minutes
day 3 - run 25 minutes     day 6 - rest
                     day 7 - RACE DAY

LACE UP and enjoy the taper!