Taper Tantrum

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I wrote this just before a big race in October….hopefully it should help others tapering towards their own race day!…

Tomorrow I’m running the Jog Shop Jog – a hilly 20-mile off-road route on the Downs around Brighton. This wouldn’t be a problem but my body is struggling! My left calf has decided to tighten and my ITB has followed suit. Everywhere seems to ache. Fortunately, I recognise this pattern – it happened before my last race too – I’m having a Taper Tantrum…

A taper tantrum is the term I use to describe what happens to body and mind in the last couple of weeks prior to race. Tapering means running less, something very few runners enjoy. Niggles seem to come to the surface and this, combined with a few pre-race nerves can lead to making some panicked decisions. Anyone who has tried to squeeze in ‘just one more long run’ in the week before a race will understand this.

So how do you tackle a taper tantrum?

1. Stay calm – worrying is only useful if it prompts action. Worrying and doing nothing is pointless! Keep calm, make a plan of action and then relax – it’ll all work out ok on the day.
2. Plan – whether it’s 2 weeks or 2 days until you run a plan can be a very useful way of settling nerves and making race day less stressful. Make a list of what you need to do – charge your GPS watch, wash your running kit, find safety pins for your number. Stock up on energy gels and recovery drinks and even make sure you have what you need for breakfast ready to go. This avoids the panic of waking to find you’re out of toast, your running shoes are at work and you can only attach your race number using a rusty staple gun you found in the garage! If you have a few weeks to go you can book in a sports massage, organise a day off work after the run to recover and plan a stress-free few days before the race (for some reason FMG always decides we need to do an ASDA trip the day before I race which drives me mad!).
3. Less is more – the idea of a taper period is to allow your body to recover from your training and prepare for the race. Part of recovery is refuelling the glycogen stores in your muscles. This is the fuel that keeps you running. While one more long run may make you feel less nervous or a little more prepared in reality it will do little for your fitness and may deplete the energy stores you’ll need in the race so less running is more beneficial than squeezing in a few more miles.
4. Treat any niggles – a break from plodding the streets should give you time to treat any aches and pains. Have a sports massage or plan a foam roller and stretch session. Use heat to settle muscular aches and consider a nice jacuzzi or steam room session. Bear in mind though to allow enough time between deep tissue massage or intense foam roller sessions and the big day – deep tissue work can leave you sore for a day or so, so allow yourself 48-72 hours recovery before race day. It’s also worth remembering that sometimes the best thing to do can be to just give the niggle a little time. People often make the mistake of overdoing it with the foam roller or aggressively stretching and turning a niggle into a nightmare, so be gentle. Also, don’t be tempted to ‘test it out’ with a long run just to make sure it’s ok. You might find you make it much worse and have no time to recover!
5. Sleep – sleep deprivation has been shown to cause aches and pains, even without injury. A few early nights can leave you feeling refreshed and ready to go, it also means it doesn’t matter as much if you can’t sleep well the night before you run.
6. Refuel – there are a host of different strategies for diet leading up to a race. Many go with ‘pasta packing’ and generally a mix of complex carbohydrates is recommended to help you refuel. The ever-helpful @John1_Feeney suggests that for endurance events lasting more than 90mins, increase carbohydrate intake 36-48hrs before the race to 10-12 g.kg per 24hrs plus reduce training. And for events less than 90mins no need to massively carbo-load – he suggests a rest day beforehand & consuming 7-12 g.kg per 24hrs (g.kg means grams per kg of body weight) – Basically, half marathon and below – a good meal the night before should ensure muscle glycogen is at the max. I trust John, he’s very clever!
7. Take the pressure off – sometimes remembering why you run in the first place can be calming before a race. It is meant to be fun, isn’t it? We can get obsessed with times and PBs and forget to enjoy it! When I ran the Brighton marathon this year I pushed myself incredibly hard, as many do. I was delighted with the time but I have no memory of experiencing the crowd for the last 5 miles. I was so completely exhausted I stumbled along in a daze. Is it worth sacrificing that experience to run 5-10 minutes faster? So tomorrows run is just to be enjoyed. I want to chat to some runners, plod round and enjoy the views, get a bit muddy then have a good long bath and a tasty roast! Ultra runner @Jodyrunssahara tweeted a great quote recently – “Dead last is better than did not finish, which is way better than did not start”. This is a great mindset to adopt to take the pressure off a little.
8. Trust your training – how you do in the race isn’t about the last 2 weeks but the preceding 10 or 15 – now its time to reap the benefit of what training you’ve done and not worry about what you haven’t done!

And finally…if, like me, you’re close to race day and in the midst of a taper tantrum welcome to the club! I’m sure pre-race nerves must be part of nearly every runner’s story! Good luck with whatever race you’re doing I’m sure you’ll be brilliant!