Marathon tapering is frustrating. Really, it is. I know that rest will do me good and that I will be in better shape for it, but I feel the urge to go running again, and it really is frustrating to stay in instead.
For my previous marathons I tapered for 4 weeks, and it definitely was too long. By the time I got to the starting line I felt stale rather than fresh. This time I have opted for a two weeks taper, less than most experts recommend, but not outrageously short, because I felt I still had to put in some extra effort because I missed quite some training time due to my shin splints.
I went for a short but fast 6 mile run yesterday. I really have to be careful not to run too fast in the early stages of the marathon, because I will feel very rested and raring to go, but I know full well that a fast start would be the single biggest mistake I could make.
I agree with a four week taper being kind of long. With my first marathon I tapered for about 3 1/2 and that seemed way too long. With my second marathon I tapered two weeks and this seemed about right. My only regret is that I ran a fast half-marathon the day before I started tapering - it would have probably have been better not to do that, I wasn't up to par for the sub-4 marathon that I tried to run.
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