Its Taper Time 3 weeks before race date That means you run less and rest more, because in those last few weeks its the rest more than the work that makes you strong. And you dont lose fitness in 3 weeks of tapering. In fact, studies show that your aerobic capacity, the best gauge of fitness, doesnt change at all. Research reveals a lot more than that. A review of 50 studies on tapering published in the journal Medicine & Science in Sports & Exercise shows that levels of muscle glycogen, enzymes, antioxidants, and hormones--all depleted by high mileage--return to optimal ranges during a taper. The muscle damage that occurs during sustained training is also repaired. And if that isnt enough, immune function and muscle strength improve, as well, which reduces the odds youll catch a cold or get injured just before the race. And get this: The average performance improvement by the subjects who tapered in these studies was 3 percent. That works out to 5 to 10 minutes in a marathon. The primary aim of the taper should be to minimize accumulated fatigue, rather than to attain additional physiological adaptations or fitness gains; its time to chill. Runners World
Posted on: Sat, 05 Apr 2014 01:00:00 +0000
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