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Tapering for half marathon
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Whats preferred?.. everywhere I read says cut volume 75% 2 weeks before and 50% 1 week before.. Rest the day before the HM?
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Re: Tapering for half marathon [125mph] [ In reply to ]
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I suppose it depends on your training load leading up to the race, your endurance background, and what your goals for the race are. A two week taper with 75% and 50% seem sensible, if a bit conservative.

Personally, I'll only taper for a week prior to a ('A' race) half marathon, and I'll generally drop the milage down to about 60% of peak milage. In the weeks leading up to the race, I'll generally throw in a bit more speed work, but I'll cut speed work out entirely in the week before a big race (with the exception of strides...).

I make a point of getting up the day before a race and going for a run at the same time as the starters gun will be fired the next day. I'll generally only run for 20 minutes at a pace close to race pace. It's more a state of mind thing, as opposed to a training thing. Helps keep my anxiety levels low. I'll do very little for the rest of the day (I use this routine before a full marathon as well).

Everyone is different. Some people go in with no taper. Others taper hard. If you've been really pushing yourself prior to the race, I'd err on the side of more tapering.
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Re: Tapering for half marathon [125mph] [ In reply to ]
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125mph wrote:
Whats preferred?.. everywhere I read says cut volume 75% 2 weeks before and 50% 1 week before.. Rest the day before the HM?

Depends upon how experienced you are as a runner.

But for me I think less about reducing volume; more about reducing intensity (Hills/Tempo Runs) if you are just running a stand alone 1/2 and I don't reduce anything 2 weeks out before the race only 1 week out if at all.
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Re: Tapering for half marathon [SpaceKitty] [ In reply to ]
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SpaceKitty wrote:
I suppose it depends on your training load leading up to the race, your endurance background, and what your goals for the race are. A two week taper with 75% and 50% seem sensible, if a bit conservative.

Personally, I'll only taper for a week prior to a ('A' race) half marathon, and I'll generally drop the milage down to about 60% of peak milage. In the weeks leading up to the race, I'll generally throw in a bit more speed work, but I'll cut speed work out entirely in the week before a big race (with the exception of strides...).

I make a point of getting up the day before a race and going for a run at the same time as the starters gun will be fired the next day. I'll generally only run for 20 minutes at a pace close to race pace. It's more a state of mind thing, as opposed to a training thing. Helps keep my anxiety levels low. I'll do very little for the rest of the day (I use this routine before a full marathon as well).

Everyone is different. Some people go in with no taper. Others taper hard. If you've been really pushing yourself prior to the race, I'd err on the side of more tapering.

I have a 1/2 coming up in 2 1/2 weeks, this looks like pretty good advise. Thanks!!

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#WeAreTheForge #BlackGunsMatter

"Look, will you guys at leats accept that you are a bunch of dumb asses and just trust me on this one? Please?" BarryP 7/30/2012
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Re: Tapering for half marathon [CruseVegas] [ In reply to ]
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Just remember the old saying: It's better to be 20% undertrained than 5% overtrained (numbers are pulled out of the air). As I said before, if you've been pushing yourself hard, give yourself a bit more tapering to absorb your hard work. You'll feel better on race day.

Good luck!
Last edited by: SpaceKitty: Feb 12, 13 14:53
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Re: Tapering for half marathon [SpaceKitty] [ In reply to ]
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Thanks and completely agree with the under trained/over trained comment. My basic plan for the week prior is to cut back volume and intensity with the exception of some random strides @ race pace the week before and some short runs at the same time as the race 2 or 3 days prior. I have two long runs and one 1 hour speed/interval planned between now and a week from Friday, I think 7 solid days of low intensity/recovery runs will leave me ready for my 1/2 on Saturday.

Exercise doesn't make you stronger, rest does. ;)

************************
#WeAreTheForge #BlackGunsMatter

"Look, will you guys at leats accept that you are a bunch of dumb asses and just trust me on this one? Please?" BarryP 7/30/2012
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Re: Tapering for half marathon [CruseVegas] [ In reply to ]
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Now a lot of this certainly depends on what your goals are not only for the race itself but what follows.
Since my assumption is you are attempting to peak for this race that you did the base work, hills, tempo and specific pace work. here would be how i would structure the last two weeks.

Two weeks out you begin to reduce volume on your easy days so if you normally do ie. seven mile runs as recovery cut those to four or five mile. Continue to do your key workouts such as a speed workout probably 11-12 days out. A tempo workout of maybe 2x10 minutes at half marathon pace 9 days out. A long or medium long run one week out and a short tempo of 15 minutes at half marathon pace 30-40 minute total run time leaving three easy days before the race the last two days nothing more than 15-20 minutes easy with 6-8 x20 seconds strides and the 6x15 seconds strides the day before. Also with this pay attention to diet, hydration etc. The day before the race try to stay off your feet and relax. This is the time when you really can only do things to hurt your race. Try to minimize time traveling or at race expos the day before a peak race.



Good Luck



http://futrmultisport.com/
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Re: Tapering for half marathon [125mph] [ In reply to ]
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I wouldn't rest the day before a race. I'm pretty sure most people do a rest day two days before and then day before something short with some strides/pick-ups and tiny bit of race pace (like 1' or 2'). That's sort of standard.

kelly dunleavy o'mara
@kellydomara
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Re: Tapering for half marathon [125mph] [ In reply to ]
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Totally dependent on your fitness and base. Is the HM an "A" race for you or are you simply just doing it as part of your training? In the grand scheme of things, 13.1 miles is not something you need to taper more than a week for if you have a good base. If you have been a 5K/10K specialist for a long time and are just stepping up to 13.1 than a more conservative approach is appropriate. How many MPW are you doing in your run up to this event? If you have a good base and want to really kill this HM, then a 25% drop in volume for week 1 and a 50% drop in volume for week 2 is more than enough. If you are over-reaching in your training right now (peaking for something later on) then go conservative and don't set yourself up to have to dig out of a hole after the race. For me, the day before a HM should be a dynamic warm-up that includes 3-5 strides at the end then run 15% of race distance (2 miles) at race pace.


Dave Stark
dreamcatcher@astound.net
USAC & USAT level 2 certified coach
Last edited by: karma: Feb 14, 13 13:29
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Re: Tapering for half marathon [karma] [ In reply to ]
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Taper? Whats that? JK. I really don't taper much before a half. I do normal volume, just no really hard runs the week leading up to it. Usually the morning before I will do a mile warmup with about 10-15 minutes at race pace, then a cool down.

Good Luck!

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"You just gotta keep livin' man, L-I-V-I-N." - Wooderson

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Re: Tapering for half marathon [Shippy13] [ In reply to ]
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and I forgot... I usually take a rest day two days before.

---------------------------------------------------------------

"You just gotta keep livin' man, L-I-V-I-N." - Wooderson

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Re: Tapering for half marathon [karma] [ In reply to ]
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Vote for what Karma said, above.
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Re: Tapering for half marathon [125mph] [ In reply to ]
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Two weekends ago I signed up for a half the Wednesday prior. Went for a 55 minute stair climber run Friday and then swam 4K Saturday, race was Sunday. PR'd by a minute and change doing about 6-7 mile runs everyday and something longer somewhere in the range of 9 ish once a week. Course was also amazing and weather was perfect. No taper really. But like others have said depends on your overall fitness level. But for most big A races, I would do something light the day before, 30 minutes max and a good stretch starting at the gun time.

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