The Taper Period

It's accepted in the running world that when you run long distance, you should have a period of tapering.  What does this mean exactly? Well, it means that during the past couple of months you have trained pretty hard for a particular race and so the week or two before that race, you can relax a little, knowing that the hard work is behind you and all that's left is to reap the benefits. Before a race like Comrades, normal runners might take the week before just to eat, put there feet up and try to mentally prepare for the mammoth task that lies ahead.  At this stage, the physical preparation is done and whatever runs you might do in that last week, is really just to keep your muscles moving.  Elite athletes who have trained intensively for 4 to 5 months out of the year for a gold in a particular race, might start to reduce their mileage two or three weeks ahead of time, allowing their bodies enough time to recover from the training and to ensure that they are on top form on race day (or so I've read).  But what about average runners who have been training as hard as they can for a few months for lets say...a 32km race....like me for example.  32km isn't exactly an impossible distance, but its far enough to make you tired and when said race is called The Tough One...well, average runners like myself may feel somewhat nervous just thinking about it.  So how much is too much before a race like this? Surely I haven't earned the right to taper as much as an elite athlete might, or even as much as I'll taper before Comrades next year.  But at the same time, should I really do a 25km run just a week before? Didn't I read somewhere that it stays in your legs for at least 10 days? So many questions! And what are the answers? To be perfectly honest, I have no idea! Some say cut your mileage down by a third two weeks before and then in half a week before, others say there is no need to taper at all before a 32km.  In fact, my Comrades training program by Don Oliver reckons all I need is one rest day before the race.  So what have I done? Well, I decided to apply the same principals for this as I will to the rest of my Comrades training (because The Tough One is just a part of that I suppose).  Body Sensing...those are my two favourite words in my running vocabulary! I've continued to run this week as I would any other week (although rain in Johannesburg has provided somewhat of an unwanted taper on some days).  Is this the right way? Again, I'm clueless.  But I guess I'll find out on one of the many hills come Sundays big race!

That's why I run

I once read a book called "That's why I run" by Argentina Senda.  It's a short, non fiction book about a woman (who I now often see at races) who almost lost her leg from disease, found God and was miraculously healed.  After experiencing such grace, she decided to do something meaningful with the gift that was given to her.  So, she started running...and got pretty good at it too! The book was so inspiring and I'll admit there were a few tears spilled over the pages while reading! My start to running is a much more boring story I'm afraid, but that doesn't mean I am any less grateful for the gift that I was given! And I don't mean talent, because lets be honest, I'm just an average runner.  But the gift that I have been given is the ability to run, the motivation to keep going and the strength to never give up! So while I can't write a book about a miracle, I can write a blog about how thankful I am to be able to run! Every time I'm out on the road, I say a little prayer, remembering who gave me this gift and being ever thankful for it....and that's why I run!

Running is a dangeours sport

So we might not get tackled and we might not have any balls flying straight at us, but that doesn't mean runners aren't pretty tough too!  I am ridiculously clumsy, which is one of the many reasons why I have not yet tried the new craze that is trail running.  I've heard it can be quite fun and exciting, but the thought of jumping over rocks and into puddles just doesn't really do much for me.  So I stick to road running and make sure I don't fall off the pavement too often (trust me, it's happened!).  Last Sunday my running partner and I decided spontaneously to run a club run.  The only race on that day was the Soweto Marathon which we had cleverly not entered! So a club run it was! Club runs are great due to their slow pace and generally social atmosphere.  If it weren't for the regular stops at petrol stations to grab a drink and a chat, I might not enjoy the 26km quite as much.  But you can be sure club run's will always provide a fun morning of running.  During the last few km of this particular route we were on, you have to run a short section over a small stream and through a field before joining the road again.  It's my least favorite part of the morning and as we were balancing over the narrow bridge leading to the other side of the stream and into the field, I complained behind my running partner about how much I dislike off road running and prayed I wouldn't fall into the water.  Luckily, I made it through! Ironically, she on the other hand, has tried trail running and really enjoyed it.  So she carefully hopped from rock to rock also making it safely to the field.  However, it wasn't long before she moved out of the way for a cyclist, tripped over a stone and lost her balance falling pretty hard on the ground.  I got such a fright...and of course so did she! She grazed her elbow and knee pretty badly and there was a fair amount of blood! She bravely got up and made it through the last 3km of the club run.  This kind of thing happens to runners more often than you would think! I've often read stories about runners who trip over small objects in the road or just lose their balance and end up seriously injuring themselves.  I know my running partner was extremely relieved that she got away with only a few cuts and bruises, but I think it was a lesson to us both to be a lot more careful when running! Anything can happen and next time we may not be as lucky!

Don't ask if you don't want to know!

Some say I'm petite...I think I'm just abnormally small.  I'm 26 going on 27 and I have absolutely no curves to speak of! Don't get me wrong, I'm not complaining (not even a little bit!) and I'm comfortable enough with my body that when people ask me if I suffer from anorexia, it really doesn't bother me.  I've always been small.  As a student, I lived off oven chips, bread and Chinese noodles from Mr Wong on campus.  Still I made it through four years without any signs of the student bulge.  When I lived in London for a year I lived off kebabs, mayonnaise, too much beer and even more rum and coke. And still, my fast metabolism got me through.  During all these years of my early 20's, exercise was a foreign term to me.  I had far better things to do than keep fit! Plus, I didn't need to...despite all the warnings of picking up weight after 20, it just never happened! So when I started running and caring more about leading a healthy lifestyle, of course I lost even more weight.  Not because I suddenly started dieting or stopped eating, but because less beer and more exercise has a way of changing your body, even if it doesn't need much changing. 

People often ask me what I eat or even if I do eat at all? My reply always irritates them! Well of course I eat...do you really think I could run 12 km a day without eating???? So when I answer that I actually eat quite a lot, some joking response is always made about how two strawberries is not a lot (ha ha, hilarious). Ok, you want to know what it is that I eat? Well lets see, while healthy eating is important to me and I make sure I get enough fruit and vegetables in every day, I certainly don't hold back on the carbs either! (As a runner I feel I should take full advantage of carbo loading and I eat a big pasta meal at least twice a week!) At least 3 days out of the week I finish an entire slab of chocolate in one sitting and I'll never say no to other treats! I have a terrible weakness for Mac Donalds and I still eat mayonnaise with almost everything.  Running makes me so hungry that by the time most people are eating breakfast, I've already eaten two or three small meals. And when I tick off all the things I've eaten in one morning and people realise its more than what they'll eat all day, you can be sure its met with a pretty irritated response about how life is unfair.  I know I'm very lucky when it comes to food.  I've never had to watch my weight.  Who knows, maybe my metabolism would have let me down eventually, in which case its a good thing I started running when I did.  But I certainly have never had a problem with eating! It's one of my favourite things to do!