One week to go until the Tokyo Marathon & i’m starting to taper (at least the running). Today, with a week to go until the marathon, i’m flying to Tokyo. It’s going to be the earliest i’ve arrived before a race, & the extra time to acclimatise will be very useful considering they’ve been getting a bit more snow in Tokyo this week. Actually I can’t wait to see the city. I’m sure the senses will be on overload in such a buzzing metropolis. Already I have a few great 
things lined up for the first 2 days, including visiting the famous fish markets (lookout senses) and then a run with a local Japanese ‘friend of a friend’, who is going to take me for a 10km loop around the imperial palace park on Monday. It sounds fantastic!
I usually do a 2 week taper for marathons and in some ways this first week of taper can be tricky. You don’t want to stop training completely (I usually aim for about 70-75% of my training volume), but by the same token you’re not going to get any fitter in the last 2 weeks before the race so it’s a bit of a balancing act. some people can rest too much & be left feeling flat because of it, which is why I drop to about 70-75% volume in the first week of taper & then down to about 50% in the 2nd week. It’s also important to stay positive & trust the training that you have done. I nearly always have that nagging feeling about 2-3 weeks before the race thinking…. “if only I had another 2 months to train i’d do this workout & that workout”. It’s silly to doubt yourself, the nervous energy is much better channelled into positive thoughts, so it’s good to reflect on your successful long runs and
strong speed sessions and remember how good you’ve been feeling & that you’ve done all the hard work. Staying positive & relaxing mentally is an important aspect.It really helps to get a few positive words of encouragement & i’ve been so touched by the lots of messages of good luck & best wishes from friends, family & #OUTFITrunners. And probably none more then the secret letter i’ve got waiting for me here from my nephew Rylan. I can’t wait to get on the plan & open it!
From here on in good sleep/rest and a few ‘easy’
runs will be the best thing to have me arriving at race day feeling fresh & ready to run my best. This week is also a good chance to do a bit of research as to what to expect on race day. I don’t go to the event expo until Friday but i have found a race map… & i’m slowly understanding a bit more about the city layout etc.I’m sure it’ll all make sense once i’ve run & walked around it and at least attempted to navigate the subway system. Check out their map! Should be easy…
Speak Your Mind