4 weeks taper for first ever marathon?

Quoted message said:

From: "Satish K"

Quoted message said:

I will be running my first marathon on May 4th. I already ran my last 20 miler on Apr 6th.

Let me wish you and early "good luck"...IIRC, you are running the Avenue of the Giants up in
Humboldt? Supposed to be a beautitul run...

Quoted message said:

Now I am in taper mode until my marathon and my remaining long runs are 15, 8 , 6 and the marathon.
Is it okay to deviate from traditional 3 week taper rule? My aim is to just finish the marathon

Tapering is as much art as it is science...since you are aiming to merely finish this marathon
without much pressure of a time goal, I wouldn't worry too much about the taper. If you have been
following a specific training program to this point, deviating from it will defeat the purpose of
following it in the first place. Plan your work and work your plan...and stick to it if it feels
like it is working for you.

*In most cases* your body will retain the physiological effects of the longest run for about 4-5
weeks (don't ask me to quote the studies on this, but this has worked for me and I have read
elsewhere on this topic), so your 20-miler 4 weeks out should be fine...just resist the temptation
to add mileage to any of your runs, particularly during the last 10 days. As you have read on
another thread about the last 3 days before the marathon, your mind will start to convince you that
you feel like [censored] and should go out and do a long run..."you're lazy" or words to that effect will
be dancing in your head. You'll feel sluggish, sort of confirming the thought.

Don't give in to those feelings...you will pay for it dearly on race day. I'm sure almost everyone
here who has tapered for a major effort could write a story about how s*itty they felt the day or
two before, and how great race day turned out *presuming they stuck to their plan and the taper!*

Anyway, Satish, good luck...enjoy your taper, and of course enjoy race day. Both are rewards for all
the hard training leading up to now.

Mike C

I have often advocated for the 4 week taper on this list. There is much scientific evidence to
support it. Studies have shown that we retain the ability to run long for roughly 16 weeks after the
last lengthy effort! Additionally, research indicates that most runners require 4 weeks to recover
from the muscle damage incurred by runs longer than about 11 miles. I've used the 4 week taper for
my last 10 marathons. Most people taper for 3, believing they'll lose their edge--that their body
will lose its capacity to "go long"--if they taper any longer. However, they'll never know if they
might have performed even better with a 4 week taper. There are many examples of quality elite
runners performing well after unexpectedly long tapers. Probably the most well known such example is
that of Emil Zatopek, who was injured prior to the 1952 Olympic Games and could not run much prior
to the Games. Then he won the 5k, 10k and marathon! Also, the men's marathon champion in the 1984 LA
games, Carlos Lopes, was hit by a car prior to the Olympics that year, which limited his training.
An acquaintance of mine who has discussed this issue with some Kenyan elite runners told me that
they looked at him somewhat incredulously and indicated that their bodies already knew how to run
long--what they needed to do late in their training sequences was fast and not long running! Anyway,
I submit that the 3 week taper tradition is a myth that has been elevated to the level of "fact," or
"best practice," bolstered by the dominant voices in the running community over the years. I believe
that no one tapering program--three, four or even two weeks--is "right." Everyone is different and
no one regimen works for all. Anyway, right now I'm in the third week of my taper for Boston!!

Best of luck in your first marathon! To increase your chances of having a good experience, remember
to: carbohydrate load (4g per lb of body weight each day) for 3 days prior to the race; drink 12-14
oz of gatorade prior to the start; start out a few seconds slower than goal pace in the first couple
of miles; drink 20-24 oz of gatorade every hour during the race and stay away from water and solids
like gu--you don't need them.

Dave

Satish K said:

Hi All,

I will be running my first marathon on May 4th. I already ran my last 20 miler on Apr 6th. Now I
am in taper mode until my marathon and my remaining long runs are 15, 8 , 6 and the marathon. Is
it okay to deviate from traditional 3 week taper rule? My aim is to just finish the marathon
(anything under 5 hours will be great).

Thanks,

- Satish

Quoted message said:

Quoted message said:

From: "Satish K"

Quoted message said:

I will be running my first marathon on May 4th. I already ran my last 20 miler on Apr 6th.

Quoted message said:

Now I am in taper mode until my marathon and my remaining long runs are 15, 8 , 6 and the
marathon. Is it okay to deviate from traditional 3 week taper rule? My aim is to just finish the
marathon

Your planned taper is fine for your goal. You are going to be among the runners at the start with
the freshest legs which will be a lot of fun. You won't lose much conditioning with your plan during
the last month. Enjoy.

"Mike Conway" <[email hidden]> wrote in message "]news:[email hidden]...

Quoted message said:

Quoted message said:

From: "Satish K"

Anyway, Satish, good luck...enjoy your taper, and of course enjoy race

day.

Quoted message said:

Both are rewards for all the hard training leading up to now.

Mike C

Mike, Yup, I am running the Ave of Giants in Humboldts. Thanks for the words of wisdom and wishes.
By reading other posts, I am pretty sure I will be okay doing this 4 week taper. - Satish

Quoted message said:

Best of luck in your first marathon! To increase your chances of having a good experience,
remember to: carbohydrate load (4g per lb of body weight each day) for 3 days prior to the race;
drink 12-14 oz of gatorade prior to the start; start out a few seconds slower than goal pace in
the first couple of miles; drink 20-24 oz of gatorade every hour during the race and stay away
from water and solids like gu--you don't need them.

Dave

Dave -

Thanks for sharing your knowledge, experience and facts. I appreciate it. I have made up my mind to
stick with 4 week taper and hopefully I will have a good race. Won't forget to carbo load and
hydrate as you suggested.

Thanks again, Satish

Quoted message said:

Your planned taper is fine for your goal. You are going to be among the

runners at

Quoted message said:

the start with the freshest legs which will be a lot of fun. You won't

lose much

Quoted message said:

conditioning with your plan during the last month. Enjoy.

Okay, then, 4 week taper it is. Thanks, Chris. - Satish

Go getem Satish .. I might have gone with only a 3 week taper, but only to combat that doubt you
already expressed .. On the Saturday before my first two marathons, I've done a 7-10 miler, if for
nothing else to convince myself "I still got it" .. but for the remaining six days, I'm down to a
5'ver and a couple three-milers ..

More importantly, for my first marathons, i've found the day and night before to be crucial. On the
day before, try to relax and drink a pantload of Gatorade or water, just chug all you can, and try
to get some sleep. It'll be tough (especially because you have to keep getting up to hit the
bathroom because of all the Gatorade you drank). On the morning of, don't be bullied into eating
anything you don't normally eat by folks pushing weird foods at you. Just get up and go. Whatever
you ate the day before your 20-milers, that's fine.

Drink TONS of liquids along the route, walk through aid stations to ensure you get plenty of fluids,
relax, and you'll surprise yourself.

To quote Dickie V: "It's Awesome, Baby"

Be sure to report back with a full tale of your success!

Gettem