For a lot of runners, taper time is difficult. They find themselves getting antsy and stressed, wondering if they should be training more, knowing that their training plan will get them to the finish.
Personally, I love taper week. After weeks and weeks of hard training, I get in one last long run and then it’s like I can breathe. A week of easy running before the race. Hooray!
But what I don’t love is the week after the race. The week where I rest up and slowly ease my body back into running after beating it up during the race. This week, due to some lingering soreness and a weird knee twinge, I didn’t run until Saturday. And I felt like such a slug the whole time. I know it’s what was right for my body, but I can’t help but feel like I’m a slacker and that I’m just sitting around gaining weight when I should be training.
But I know that rest is a crucial part of a training plan. Rest is what is going to help me get through the six half marathons I have remaining until the summer (I hate racing in the summer). If I don’t rest, I’m going to end up injured and won’t be able to race at all.
Of course, that doesn’t mean I like it. I miss the endorphins. And I miss the calorie burn for sure (is it possible to have gained 3 pounds in a rest week while still watching calories?). But with yesterday’s run, I’m back on track, and will be starting up training again this week.