The Quest for the Perfect Taper

Saturday marked the end of my major training effort for Whiskey Basin when I completed my last long training run.  With three weeks until the race, I have begun to taper my training in order to maximize my recovery.  This means less miles and superior attention to my wellness.

While at the height of training, it is easy to get lost in the miles we run and eat more junk than we want.  Easy to get less sleep than desirable to squeeze in all the miles.  Easy to maintain a hectic pace that interferes with mental focus and healing. For a time, we can get away with it.  When we run 10-15 hours a week, that extra piece of chocolate  is easy to justify and still the pounds stay off.  Sleep is fought off with caffeine and we keep up the hectic pace with careful scheduling and sheer willpower.  We prioritize our training and not always our recovery.  

Yet I believe eating healthy, sleep, and mental well being are valuable for everyone and especially for an athlete.  We need to take care of our internal engine to withstand the pressure it undergoes.  Exercise in itself does nothing to make us stronger.  Exercise breaks the body down and only when our body repairs do we become stronger than before.  While we might not be throwing in last minute grinds up mountains, these last few weeks are really our chance to fine tune things and reset our internal functions to maximize healing.  Training is just the journey while the race  is the ultimate goal.   

Historically, I have had the bad habit of  seeing the taper as a chance to indulge and celebrate my hard training.   I want to hold myself accountable for really getting the best out of my taper.  Celebration is for AFTER accomplishing the goal. When we put our thoughts into the universe, we can make them a reality so here are my 7 Strategies to Maximize My Taper from now until Race Day:

Focusing on eating clean whole foods.  

Processed foods and sugary foods put a strain on us as our bodies work hard to clear them out of our system.  I want my body to be full of valuable nutrients that aid in repair.

Cut out wine and other alcohol.  

Similar to eating whole clean foods, alcohol can create extra strain on our bodies.  Additionally, alcohol interferes with our sleep and prevents a really restful night. Eliminating this for my taper will help my body focus its attention on repair and recovery.

Reduce Caffeine

I am not a huge caffeine drinker, but I want to reduce my intake from one cup of coffee each morning to no coffee for the last week of my taper.  This will allow my body to reset and will increase the impact of any caffeine use on race day to give me that little extra boost.

 

Drink Golden Milk daily

Golden Milk is a blend of turmeric, ginger & a plant based milk - Flax Milk in my case.  Turmeric and ginger are fabulous anti-inflammatories.   These herbal medicinals will give my body additional support in healing and recovery.  You can find more about this blend including a recipe on the Wellness Mama blog here.

Get Lots of Sleep

Sleep is critical to a healthy body prepared for peak performance. The benefits include both physical and mental health.

Drink Lots of Water

Our bodies are made of mostly of water and replacing those fluids we lose through breathing, sweating, just plain living keeps us functioning at our best.  Bonus, it helps flush out any toxins that may be in my body interfering with my race day preparations.

Meditate Daily

Visualizing my success during the race will help me become more capable to actually accomplishing it.  Meditation works to rewire the synapses in the brain giving us the ability to stay in the moment.  During a tough race, it is common to think about what’s ahead, waste energy worrying about whether we will make it, stress over whether our pace is on target or not.  If I can keep my brain focused, I will be better prepared to handle whatever this race throws my way.

By implementing these simple yet powerful strategies, I believe I will be able to go into Race Day with my best opportunity for being the successful BadAss I want to be.