Running Free: Why we taper

Monday, June 11, 2007

Why we taper

I have started my taper for Western States. Why? Well, tapering allows for muscles, tendons, ligaments and joints to recover from months of high intensity training. When running long, there are microscopic breakdowns in these structures. The tapering allows this damage to heal. The tapering period also allows your muscles to store the most energy that they possibly can. This will hopefully allow you to avoid "hitting the wall" or push this stage later in your run.
Listen to your body. There are no workouts the week prior that will enhance your preparedness for the race. I think that "less is best", particularly if you are feeling either physically or mentally tired and /or your leg muscles are fatigued. Okay, enough about tapering, I'm bored already. I do have a quick question for everybody. If you bonk in the pool, can everyone else hear the thud? Um, yeah. Cause tonight there was an echoing thud on the bottom of the pool when I completely bonked somewhere around about 1000 meters. I totally sucked at the pool tonight!! I had to force myself to hang in there and act casual. I actually swam slower than the slowest swimmers there tonight. Not good. Not. Good. Maybe swimming is not the best thing during my tapering period. I don't know. I do know that I stopped caffeine today and I do have a terrible headache. Can I hang in there with caffeine withdrawals for 12 more days? YES!!! I can't wait until Saturday, June 23rd to have a large cup of joe before the start of the race. Yes, the wait will be worth it. Sweet. I hope everyone who is getting ready for their race is feeling good and thinking strong.

"The great pleasure in life is doing what people say you cannot do." Walter Bagehot

2 comments:

GB said...: You are disciplined to give up caffeine in prep for your race. And what a day for the first day of the WS... my birthday! I'll be thinking about ya' as I raise my much loved cup of coffee to my mouth. Hang in there, you can do it. Just a little over a week til you can have your coffee back!; June 14, 2007 at 5:16 PM
Bob - BlogMYruns.com said...: great post Kelly... umm I been tapering BUT I am 2 months away --lolol

Not anymore, I am getting back into da groove, had bit of a blip :-(

Best Wishes Next Weekend at WS!!; June 16, 2007 at 12:07 PM

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Not Even Lupus Can Slow Ridgway

NOT EVEN LUPUS CAN SLOW RIDGWAY Published on June 26, 2004 © 2004- The Press Democrat BYLINE: BRUCE MEADOWS Three years ago when she was diagnosed with lupus, Kelly Ridgway didn't take much time plotting her course. ``I figured I could lay on the couch and be a drug-seeker for pain or I could choose to be as healthy as I can be,'' said Ridgway, 46, an outpatient surgery nurse at Santa Rosa Memorial Hospital. Ridgway, defying the odds, is entered in the Western States 100 Endurance Run, which starts at the base of Squaw Valley at 5 this morning and ends 100 miles away in Auburn. ``I see people at the hospital in horrible shape because of lupus, but I realized I had a choice how to deal with it,'' Ridgway said. Lupus is a chronic auto-immune disease affecting mainly women. The immune system attacks the body's own tissues as a foreign substance, producing antibodies to fight it. The cause of the disease is unknown although research has shown it occurs when a specific set of susceptible genes is exposed to a combination of environmental factors such as infectious agents, certain drugs, excessive ultraviolet light, physical trauma or emotional stress. Ridgway said she has been a ``serious runner'' for 14 years and has also competed in 50- and 100-mile events on horseback. She started running to get in shape after the last of her three children -- Caleb (18), Chelsea (16) and Courtney (14) -- were born. ``I've found I really love ultras,'' said Ridgway, a single mother who graduated from Montgomery High, then earned a nursing degree from Santa Rosa JC. Dr. Lisa Kremer, Ridgway's rheumatologist said, fatigue is the most universal symptom of lupus. ``For somebody to run 100 miles with an auto-immune disease is incredible.'' Ridgway first experienced flu-like symptoms, then fatigue. ``But when I started having problems with cognitive stuff, I knew there was something more to it.'' She was having trouble doing simple math or even finding her way around town. ``I thought of all sorts of things, including a brain tumor,'' said Ridgway. Ridgway has been training with Santa Rosan Karen Hanke, 42, and Suzanna Bon, 39 of Sonoma. This is the second Western States for Hanke, who finished last year in 29 hours, 47 minutes, running the last 70 miles on severely blistered feet. It is the first Western States for Ridgway and Bon. Because of the glut of applicants -- more than 1,000 annually apply for 400 spots -- runners must not only qualify with an acceptable 50-mile run time but also get lucky by having their name drawn by lot. Bon, whose goal is ``just to finish although I'd love to do it in under 24 hours,'' is impressed with Ridgway's effort. ``Kelly is strong and smart about training,'' said Bon. ``We'll run at our own pace this weekend, not together, but we want to do the best we can.'' Ridgway sees herself as a runner who happens to have lupus. ``My case is relatively minor and medication has really helped,'' said Ridgway, who logs 75 miles a week. ``But I don't know anybody with lupus who runs as much as I do.'' She has bouts of fatigue and deals with them. ``There are days I am really tired and need to come home and rest for a while,'' she said. But this weekend there will no place to rest. ``I'm not the type to quit,'' she said. ``I will persevere.'' Kremer said people with lupus react differently to the disease. ``Some have a real tough time with it and others take it as a challenge,'' said the doctor. ``In general, a disease like lupus provokes self-evaluation ... some patients look at it as a way to straighten out their lives, physically and socially.'' Kremer said most lupus patients with a positive outlook exercise to some degree. ``For them, making an effort is a personal victory.'' Ridgway, who left for Squaw Valley Thursday, has been on the Western States course before, having competed in the Tevis Cup horse race and also working the run the past two years as a medical helper. ``It's beautiful ... I fell in love with the trail,'' she said. ``I'm excited but not nervous.'' Ridgway will be tested following the race to determine how running 100 miles affects a lupus patient. ``I know I am capable of doing this.'' She likes to run, even 100 miles, because it makes her feel healthy and alive. ``Maybe in some ways this will speak to people who are trying to make choices,'' she said. ``You can push ahead and take charge of your life.''