“Feel free to lose your shit!” bellows the instructor over a throaty Decemberist song.
My classmates scream, grunt and shake in response.
“The Class” by Taryn Toomey is a sweaty body weight workout in Tribeca right next to the Four Seasons. The vibe is upscale hipster and the studio looks like someone at Goop designed it. The beautiful people in the class move as if they’ve caught the Holy Spirit in a mega church.
Most training plans include a tapering period 2-3 weeks before a marathon. This means you run less, and slow the eff down in fitness and ideally in life. The theory is the work is done, your strength and endurance are built and it’s too late to try to work on speed. Now it’s time to relax and get/be healthy. The goal is straightforward: Show up to the marathon well-rested and eager to run.
I’ve heard the taper can make you go crazy. Some dub the moody response some runners have “Taper Tantrums.” I figured I’d have some issues here, but it’s not what I predicted. I expected to feel the desire to run more than I was permitted to and to feel frustrated and nervous about the lack of mileage, but au contraire. All I want to do is sit on the couch, forget running, take some naps and eat pretzel croissants from City Bakery. (I’m averaging three a week. Too much?)
I ran 4 miles yesterday at a 10-minute per mile pace (on the slow side for me) and it was a workout, not a casual jaunt in the park. Everything feels HARD. I’m still sore from the 21 mile run. Which was like, 10 days ago. So I’d say things are going only OKAY. I feel DONE.
Good morning! Let’s kick things off with some great things written by other people.
The things you’ll find on the internet. Evidently there is a secret Facebook group called “the Missing Chins Run Club.” Its 52 members have lost over 4,000 pounds through running and nutrition changes. I think that’s pretty cool.
Got race-day jitters? Cool me too. Robin Arzon, an epic spin instructor at Peloton and impressive runner has some tips on tapering and racing.
I love sports movies and I’m very excited to watch some of the films recommended by Race Pace Jess on her list of running movies to watch while you taper. Anyone with me?
Week 15 recap
Let’s start with a little roundup of interesting bits and bites from around the web before I dive into week 13 of marathon training.
“Practice any art, music, singing, dancing, acting, drawing, painting, sculpting, poetry, fiction, essays, reportage, no matter how well or badly, not to get money and fame, but to experience becoming, to find out what’s inside you, to make your soul grow.”