Feeling the aches and pains during taper week

So, here it is, taper week! With only a few days until my race on Saturday, I have to be very smart this week with regards to my running. The other element which needs careful attention is my diet and of course rest.

With that in mind, I reluctantly rode my stationary bike for 1 hour this morning. Although it didn't come close to the great feeling that I experience running, it still was a good workout nonetheless but it had less impact on my joints.

It's during this week that I start to feel all those little nagging pains in my feet and knees. Because I run so many miles, my body does not get a chance to heal itself properly. Whenever I take more than a few days off I start to feel myself healing and at times this can become uncomfortable.

If I were planning on racing this particular race with a time goal in mind, then I would probably do a carbohydrate loading phase starting on Wednesday. However, I'll probably just slightly increase my carbohydrates during the last 2 days before the race. My last meal on Friday night will be most likely be pasta with parmesan cheese.

Experience has taught me not to go too crazy with my carbohydrate intake as I don't want to feel "heavy" on race day. This is the one downfall of carbohydrate loading. Although I'm still a fan of this practice, I think you have to really understand your body well and experiment with varying carbohydrate loading plans before you find the right one for you.

As long as I stick to my plan of running this race at a nice easy pace for at least the first 25K then I think I'll be fine. IF I feel really good at that point I may push it a little bit but since I haven't done a trail race in over 10 months, there's no telling how I'll feel at that point. By the time I hit the 25K mark I know that it will feel like I've run about 32K.

Stress no doubt contributed negatively to the disappointing marathon in Mississauga. Because I don't have any pressure on me now, I should have a better race experience this Saturday.

It's a little hard to have a set plan during a trail race with regards to walk breaks. In the past I would normally just run at a comfortable pace and then slow down if I felt like I needed it or if there was a long hill to climb. I usually let my breathing be my judge. I know that if I'm breathing too heavily then it's time to slow it down a little.

I want to be able to finish this race well enough so that I'll be able to do a mini "bandit" run in the evening at another race. I'd love to run two of my friends in for the last 5K of their 30K race on Saturday night which will make for a great experience. I know that if I push it too much during my race then I won't have anything left in the tank for that run in the evening.

With just 2 more days left of exercising until Saturday you'll know why I may be cranky on Thursday and Friday of this week!