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Training and Racing
Training: Get Some Sleep and Taper Before Your Big Race
By George Buckheit
September/October 2011
For the Washington Running Report
If you are planning to run a fall marathon, you have probably spent the past several months training fanatically in preparation for the big day. Like most runners, in order to find the time to cram your training into an already-packed daily schedule, you probably weren’t getting quite as much sleep as you needed. For that reason, it is extremely important to use your pre-race taper period to not only back off on your training, but also to dig yourself out of sleep debt so that you’ll be ready to perform at your best on race day.
The purpose of a taper is to allow your body to repair the muscle damage that occurs during marathon training, overcome the chronic dehydration which can develop as a result of months of continuous fluid depletion, and top off your body’s fuel stores so that you have the energy to go the distance on race day.
The way to accomplish these goals is to simply run less and rest more during the final two to three weeks prior to your race, and a big part of “rest” is making sure that you are getting adequate sleep. There has been a multitude of studies conducted in recent years that indicate a positive correlation between increased sleep and athletic performance. Researchers have found that increased sleep leads to improvements in focus, reaction time, perceived energy levels, and mood, all of which are important elements in athletic success. Reducing your training volume in combination with an emphasis on some quality sleep time will go a long way toward getting you physically and emotionally fine tuned for your marathon.
Sure, tapering sounds simple enough. You cut way back on your mileage and spend a lot of time in a horizontal position staring at the back of your eyelids, right? However, that simple formula causes much consternation for a lot of runners who get concerned about the prospect of losing fitness during their taper period. Be assured that tapering will not turn your body into mush. If you taper properly, you will be doing enough running to maintain the aerobic fitness that you built up during your training cycle, and you will be resting enough to rid yourself of the fatigue that you accumulated while running all those training miles.
Here is a taper plan that has worked successfully for runners I have coached throughout the years:
1) Do your final 20-mile training run three weeks prior to race day. Cut back the length of your long runs to 12 to 14 miles two weeks prior to race day, and 8 to 10 miles one week prior to race day.
2) Maintain your total training volume at 90% to 100% of normal three weeks prior to the race. Reduce your training volume to 60% to 70% of normal two weeks prior to the race, and 40% to 50% of normal during the final week before the race. Eliminate all speed work with the exception of some easy strides during the final week of training.
3) During the final 2 weeks of training, convert those reduced training hours into increased sleep time. Aim to get a minimum of eight hours of sleep per night and try to maintain a consistent pattern of going to bed and getting up at approximately the same time every day.
4) Focus on healthy eating and staying well hydrated. Gaining a little bit of weight (two to three pounds) during your taper is perfectly normal as your decreased training load allows your body to top off your glycogen stores and fluid levels that had become chronically depleted during your training; so don’t be concerned about modest weight gain.
5) Continue doing any stretching and strengthening exercises that are a normal part of your routine. Eliminate any weight training during the final four days prior to your race.
George Buckheit is the founder and head coach of Capital Area Runners and has been coaching runners from beginners to elite level marathoners since 1979. A two-time NCAA All-American at Bucknell University, he was inducted into its Hall of Fame in 1986. His personal bests include 3,000M (7:59), 5,000M (13:43), and 10,000M (28:39). For more information: www.capitalarearunners.com