The taper period is the most important part of your training to execute properly. You can erase all your hard work over the past four months if you do not taper properly. This whole month is dedicated to recovery NOT to making up for mileage that was lost in previous months. The best thing you can do for yourself is ensure your legs are recovered and well rested by the time we line up at the starting line in a few short weeks.
If you have any niggles now is the time to sort them out. Go to physio, chiro, acupuncture etc. and get yourself sorted out. Take the rest days the professionals advice you to ensure you’re in 100% health and physical ability. Do not worry about lost km’s this month. An extra 50km’s of training is useless if you are injured and tired come race day. There are a number of stories of runners with serious injury/illness who did not run the entire month of May and still finished Comrades. I recommend reading some of the personal stories of Comrades champions found here. Reading about how others overcame the challenges presented by Comrades can be a huge mental boost and you should know by know how important mental strength is to getting your medal.
Usually it is your weekend long runs that change the most in the taper period. These will start to dwindle. You may also notice your program has an extra rest day. It is also important not to push yourself these runs. Every run should be aimed at recovery. You may not realize the impact these past four months have had on your body. Whether you realize it or not, you have put your body through a great deal and you are about to put it through the Ultimate test. So be good to yourself, allow your body to recover so it is as ready as possible for that 89km journey.
If you have any niggles now is the time to sort them out. Go to physio, chiro, acupuncture etc. and get yourself sorted out. Take the rest days the professionals advice you to ensure you’re in 100% health and physical ability. Do not worry about lost km’s this month. An extra 50km’s of training is useless if you are injured and tired come race day. There are a number of stories of runners with serious injury/illness who did not run the entire month of May and still finished Comrades. I recommend reading some of the personal stories of Comrades champions found here. Reading about how others overcame the challenges presented by Comrades can be a huge mental boost and you should know by know how important mental strength is to getting your medal.
Usually it is your weekend long runs that change the most in the taper period. These will start to dwindle. You may also notice your program has an extra rest day. It is also important not to push yourself these runs. Every run should be aimed at recovery. You may not realize the impact these past four months have had on your body. Whether you realize it or not, you have put your body through a great deal and you are about to put it through the Ultimate test. So be good to yourself, allow your body to recover so it is as ready as possible for that 89km journey.
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