Taper can be challenging to get right. Your active kilometres, well, taper off to allow your body to recover from the slog of endurance training, and feel fresh for event day.
The challenges include too much time, not enough activity, still too hungry and logistics to get your head around.
I'm writing this from Briancon, in the week before the
CCC at Chamonix. I've dubbed our Airbnb my "Briancon Bunker" where I'll finalise my preparation for the epic challenge to come, and this has inspired this post on things to do right before an ultramarathon.
1. Stay active
Even though the key to tapering is resting, don't just stop - keep your body moving. A light run or two, or perhaps some walking or low impact cross training can help stop your body from seizing up or switching off.
2. Stretch
There are two kinds of stretchers. Habitual stretchers
and the rest of us who don't stretch enough. I know you can't play catch
up if you're not the former but every little bit helps right?
3. Eat salad
As your training has decreased, your opportunities to burn calories also decrease. Unfortunately, the appetite you've built up through training for hours on end doesn't decrease. Opting for lower calorie options during taper might help keep taper tummy at bay.
4. Drink sparkling water
OK so this one might just be for me. I'm on holidays and up until the last week or so my wine intake has been a little higher than usual. So I've also substituting sparkling water for wine. Why sparkling water? It's a little bit posher than regular water. I feel like it's still kind of a treat.
5. Check, and pack, your mandatory gear
Most ultramarathons have a
list of mandatory gear that needs to be carried throughout the race.
Getting this ready to go early might help to relax your nerves and feel
more prepared for the task at hand.
6. Decide whether your mandatory gear is enough
If your event is
likely to be extra cold, or extra long, or extra wet, you might need
backup. If you do, decide whether to carry extras, leave them with your
crew, or make use of the event's drop bag service.
7. Sort out your gadgets
Think about whether you want to display
something specific to your event on your GPS device. If you're worried
about making cutoffs, you might want to keep tabs on the time of day, or
your overall pace. If you're worried about navigation, you might want
to load the course. You might have unnecessary data displaying that's helpful in training but might mess with your head on event day. Also think about whether your GPS will make it through and if not, whether to carry a recharge pack.
8. Go to work!
Being on holidays during taper means very little to do and lots of time to do it. Depending on what you do for a living and how far away from home your event is, going to work could be a great way to keep yourself occupied.
9. Write your race plan
Most of this is probably in your head as
through your training and your other preparation you've thought about what you'll wear, carry, eat, how you'll pace
yourself and so on. Read through your event's participant guide to find out any specifics about the start and briefing and have your logistics sorted for event day too. Nothing beats putting all of this in writing, not only
for yourself but also to
help your crew if you have one.
10. Do something fun
If you're NOT at work, read a book, do a jigsaw, binge on your favourite trashy TV show, or catch up on your podcasts.
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