After completing my final hard workout before the 2016 Marine Corps Marathon—a round of Yasso 800s on the nearby track as the sun rose in the early a.m. hours—I initially felt confident as I hit my recommended times.
But because taper mode is in full effect, my mind soon flipped.
My training plan from Coach Budd Coates called for eight to 10 Yasso 800s. I only hit the low end of that before deciding I should drive to work for a warm shower and breakfast.
Was this a sign that I am doomed for my upcoming marathon? Are my dreams of a good time dashed?
It wasn’t until I ran into Budd in the Runner’s World hallways that my fret disappeared. I told him how my workout went that morning, and that I only did eight instead of 10. He responded, “You’re good! Eight is only two less than 10 anyway …”
While that may seem Yogi Berra-esque in its bluntness, it actually means a ton in the taper and throughout 16 weeks of training.
While training, it’s easy to fall into a trap that if you go just a little beyond what the specified workout calls for that it will reap huge rewards down the road. You’re working extra hard, putting in extra work, and going the extra mile to be better, right?
But maybe for the first six marathons of my running career I’ve been putting extra stress on my body. For whatever reason in the past, if a long run called for 22 miles on the weekend, I’d force myself to go 24. If my body felt fresh two days after that and I wanted to run a double, or go hard on the track, what was the harm?
Desultory during the two-week taper before previous marathons when I should have been letting my body catch up on sleep and recover, I’d continue a fairly rigorous running schedule.
I was killing my marathon before I even stepped foot on the starting line. Finding this to be more and more true, I’ve gone out of my way to read several of our articles on tapering, like 3 Races & Places and MCM course map.
Along those same lines, I’ve started mapping out race weekend logistics like meals and transportation ahead of time (something I usually put off) so it won’t feel like a burden when I should be relaxing. With the little bit of extra time I’m getting by not running a double or not running an extra few miles at lunch, I’ve been studying the Best Fitness Trackers and envisioning how I want to feel running around the National Mall in the second half of the race or how seeing the Pentagon at Mile 25 will push me forward for that last 1.2 miles.
After many months of hard work, all runners just have to trust in their training to get them through. It’s taken me several marathons to really embrace that idea, but here’s hoping letting that sink in will lead to an awesome race.
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Brian Dalek is training for the 2016 Marine Corps Marathon with Runner’s World VIP. He is also embracing lots of carbs leading up to the race.
Brian has spent more than a decade focused on creating compelling news, health, and fitness content—with a particular interest on enthusiast activities like running and cycling. He’s coordinated coverage of major events like the Boston Marathon, New York City Marathon, and Tour de France, with an eye toward both the professional race and the engaging stories readers love.
