The little eye ball emoji just kills me lol.

Just me...creeping on your strava. Making sure you're not cheating yourself out of your taper.

Because for all my marathoners out there getting ready for race day, I need you to listen up.

Tapering feels weird. Your legs feel weird. Your brain is going into overdrive. You're inhaling every carb in sight. And it makes NO sense why you're running less and still feel like you got hit by freight train.

Obviously, I'm deep diving into ALL of this in this week's blog post...

And I'm even handing you a taper-time strength workout DIRECTLY from Race Ready ;) (My OG 16 week strength program designed around your marathon training so you can capture a new PR with a strong finish...*hint, hint, nudge nudge*)

But let's chat about the 3 most common taper mistakes I see runners make that leave me cringing because I can't fix the internet.

Mistake #1: Runner's stop strength training all together.

*le sigh* I get it. When it's hard enough deciding which exercises are "good for runners" and "how many reps do I need to do...but how do I lift heavy still? Or do I not lift heavy because I'm tapering?"

It can feel easier to just throw out strength training entirely.

That's why I want to give you that tried-and-true workout this week. But I want you to pay attention to the spice level. It's still tingly, there's still some muscle burn happening.

But you're not wasted by the end. You're energized.

That's always my goal with any taper strength workout. Because that energy, muscle-mind connection and awareness is what helps put the phantom niggles and pains to bed. It also helps keep your legs sharp, preventing that debilitating overly-flat and rusty feeling. Strength during tapering is your friend, not your enemy.

Mistake #2: "I'll just do a bunch of body weight exercises..."

*imagine Michael Scott "NO NO NO!" meme gif here*

The only time this is really ok is if you HAVE NOT been strength training with any additional weight during your marathon training. at all.

Otherwise, get back to picking up those dumbbells. Believe it or not, there's a very specific way we decrease our weight and reps in a taper. You actually DO NOT continue to use the same weight you have been!

Because just like how you have down weeks and tapers in running training, you have deload weeks in strength training. And that's part of the beauty of Race Ready, the 16 week strength program I mentioned where I designed each strength workout to complement the exact phase you're in during marathon training.

In taper time, we decrease overall strength by 50%, just like how your mileage chills out.

You're still do speed work, right? It just might look like strides rather than mile repeats. And the same goes for strength workouts. You still grab some heavy weights, but we're not going full-send-backsquat-at-400#'s.

Continuing to use heavy weight during your taper helps maintain all the strength you've spent 14-16 long weeks building. Don't just throw all that out.

Mistake #3: Thinking that every niggle means injury is around the corner.

Now please don't hear what I'm NOT saying.

If you need to get something checked out, go the doctor. Please.

But also realize, if it's very phantom-pain-like, it's sore, but hurts, but maybe it's actually just tired....

Your legs feel weird because it's "all in your head, but not the way you think it is". Really really.

Your brain is a blood hound. It loves to sniff out problems. You might have heard running coaches talking about how a mileage drop "unmasks" niggles.

What this means is your brain got used to a daily bolus of intense mileage. And it trained, right alongside your muscles, how to expect and handle that load. And now it's gone. SO NOW WHAT?

Your brain is wired to survive and without that daily injection of higher mileage or intense workout, it will find other "scabs" to pick on. A sore calf becomes a niggly ankle. A fatigued foot becomes plantar fasciopathy-like. A knee twinge from stepping on a stair heavier or harder than expected becomes a full on meltdown.

It can be helpful to remind your brain this is part of the process. Nothing is broken. Nothing is wrong with you. Pain is how our body communicates

...and someone gave your brain a megaphone. So take it back. And tell your brain to take a back seat.

Ready to go get the full scoop and try out that taper strength workout?

Can't wait to see you over there!

Dare to Train Differently,

Marie Whitt, PT, DPT //@dr.whitt.fit

P.S. Your brain is trying to protect you, but it's acting more like a toddler whose mad the sky is blue. Try out this running specific taper strength workout designed to quiet the phantom pains....and your taper tantrums :)

Looking for MORE ways to work together?

• ​RUNNING RESCUE CALL: Save your run and your race. Work directly with me 1-on-1 at the first sign of an ache, niggle, or repeat running injury. We'll deep dive into the why behind your injury and create a personalized exercise program that gets you out of pain, keeps you running, and helps prepare you for race day!
• Grab my NEWEST FREE Strength resources for runners: The Calf & Achilles Cure Toolkit, made for marathoners sidelined by stiff, painful achilles and tight, injury-prone calves who want to protect their training cycle and show up to the starting line strong, pain-free, and ready to race.
• ​STRONGER FEET WORKSHOP: Losing the battle to plantar fasciitis, posterior tib pain, or reoccurring Achilles tendonitis? Not with this workshop ;)

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