Thursday, September 27, 2007

Don't Be Like Mike

I want to write about some mistakes I have made. And I want you to appreciate the major editing skills this post will take. Because when I look back on my catalog of mistakes, I am impressed and a little depressed by its length. Luckily, I'm going to edit out all my past mistakes that are non-taper related.

So this leaves out all the lapses in judgment I had, well, pretty much every weekend of college. It also excludes the time when I was ten and told my dad I didn't finish raking the backyard, even though he told me to because ""I don't really want to and the Cowboys game is on." Cripes. I think I'm still grounded for that mini, short-lived rebellion. Shhhh. Don't tell my dad I'm going to Major's on Sunday night.

Even better, all non-taper related running mistakes will be left out, like going for a run on a sub-zero January afternoon in Iowa, wearing boxers and Umbro shorts.

Instead, here are the top five errors of my oh-so-humble taper ways...

Example One: Forest Tahdooahnippah I
Ain't


The Star-Tribune ran a real nice story on Forest Tahdooahnippah last week. There is a lot to admire about this athelete. And reading his story will be well worth your time. Click here for the story.

One thing the story touches on is how he is managing his first-year of law school while training for and being part of a nationally ranked division I cross country team.

My first marathon was right when I was finishing up graduate school. I turned in my thesis to my committee on Friday morning, and ran 26.2 miles on Saturday morning. What am I leaving out here. Oh yeah, I only ran twice that last week before the marathon. I was waaaaay to busy frantically putting the finishing touches on my thesis to go for a run. I did a terrible job of balancing my training demands with my school/work demands. Instead I rationalized. "What's the harm in missing these runs? They're meaningless." I was so very wrong.

I trained so well for this marathon. It was a shame that I went and blew the taper. My legs felt so very heavy for the first few miles. Plus, mentally, I just didn't feel sharp.

Solutions:
a) Do not take unscheduled days off, unless you are injured or on the mend. Follow your training calendar.
b) During taper week, minimize your workload at home and on the job as much as you can, while maintaining your responsibilities. Easier said than done, I know, but do your best.

Example Two: Paralysis by Analysis
This week it will become very easy to feel hypersensitive about every nick and ding you feel, or anytime you are out of breath. If you are like me, then your first instinct is to think, "I'm out of breath after chasing my two cats around the house. I need to sleep in an oxygen tent tonight or my marathon is going to be disaster!!!!"

Solution: To decide if you have an issue to really worry about, follow this rule of thumb: flashback to mid-July and ask yourself, "Would I have been worrying about this back then?" If the answer is "no," then you'll probably be okay. No need to stress yourself out unnecessarily. But you can always check in with one of your coaches if you do have worries, no matter how big or small.

Example Three: Don't Play Tag With Edward Scissorhands
After saying don't sweat the small stuff, I am going to suggest you take extra care to avoid things that could lead to fluke injuries. With each passing day, the stakes are higher for avoiding with stubbed toes and bruised heels, as there is less and less time to recover from them.

Two years ago, a week before my marathon, I was walking around my house barefoot and got a tiny glass splinter in my big toe. I had to go to Urgent Care to get it carved out and my toe got one little-bitty stitch. I was fine two days later, and got mocked by my fellow Finns for being lame.

Solution: Take extra care to think about keeping your feet covered. So for the next week...
a) Don't go barefoot. It would be a shame if a fluke cooking accident knocked you out of TCM.
b) Walk, don't run, everywhere (unless of course you're doing a training run).
c) Watch your step extra carefully. Those curbs and tree roots seem to move and jump out at people the week before a marathon.

Example Four: The Wafers in a Kit Kat Bar Do Not Equate To Carbo Loading.
How much sleep you get tonight and what you eat tonight is just as important as what you do Saturday night.

Going back that first marathon I ever ran. I had a great pasta dinner the night before Grandma's. I went to bed nice and early. I even got plenty of sleep the night before the night before. Why did I feel so cruddy then? Maybe it was the Payday candy bar I had for dinner three days prior (did I mention I was in grad school?). Maybe it was two straight nights of five hours of sleep I got early in the week.

Solution: Treat every night from here on out like it is race night. Get to bed by 10 p.m. Eat a healthy diet from when you first wake up until you go to bed (from can see to can't)

Example Five: Did You Get the Memo Yet?
My worst marathon can be linked to one thing: lack of a plan. My training, diet, sleep, and attitude were great going into the marathon. I was just missing one thing. I only had one plan. I only had one goal.

Here was my detailed plan: to go out with a friend of mine who was a bit faster than me, and see what happens.

I was so ill-prepared mentally. I ended up way-off pace by mile 18 and didn't know what to do next other than bleed profusely from my nipples and just try to finish. Not a fun experience, but I learned from it. Now I have policies and multiple goals.

Solution: Use taper week to come up with your plans and policies. Be flexible. Consider the wide range of weather and how you may feel that day. How do you plan to handle each scenerio you think of?

Oh, and the solution for the bloody nipple thing is simple: use Body Glide and pin your number to your shorts (not you shirt), so you can toss your shirt should Body Glide fail.

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