Photo by Scott Hanson

The long miles of summer are behind us, and with the crispness of fall come apples, cider mills and marathons! With the Detroit Marathon, Chicago Marathon, and many others coming up in October, September is a time of rest and recovery. This is the time for the taper, when we let our bodies rebuild and recover to put our best feet forward in the marathon.

The taper can do many things for our bodies. Tapering allows the body to rest and rebuild after the rigors of training. Months of marathon training will deplete muscle glycogen, enzymes and antioxidants in the body. Tapering allows the body to recover and build up these elements, also allowing the rebuilding of muscle that has been stressed during training.

While tapering is very important for the body, it can wreak havoc on the mind. With that extra time we’re not running, we have more time to think about race day, to over analyze our training and worry about whether or not we’re ready to run 26.2 miles. Not only that, we can become restless during this time because we’re used to the high intensity of marathon training, and the taper can seem like too much rest, even though we know it’s good for us.

So how do we deal with the mental affects of tapering before our marathon? Here are a few ways you can remain both mentally and physically in check during the weeks before your race, when mileage is down and worries are high.

1. Take up a new hobby: Taking up a new hobby will take your mind off of your upcoming marathon and will also remind you of what you missed when you were busy marathon training. Make sure this hobby isn’t a new athletic pursuit, however. You want your body to rest before the race and not be recovering from your new sport. Take up something to distract your mind, like reading, doing puzzles or spending more time with your family that has been so supportive while you were away running.

2. Plan your race: While distracting yourself from your race can be helpful, mentally preparing for the race will also help during your taper. Plan out everything you’ll need for your race before race day. If you know the course, take the time to visualize yourself running. How will you feel, what will you see, what will thinks look/smell/feel like? Visualization will help mentally prepare you for marathon day. Assess your goals as well, and try to have a few different plans for the day. If you’re having a great day, what will your plan look like? What if you feel like crap? Having different options will help you mentally get through unforeseen circumstances that can arise on marathon day.

3. Organize a support group: Odds are that you’ve been training with others who are tapering during the same time you are, and going through the same mental havoc of taper-time. Instead of just running together, plan time to get together with your running buddies to have coffee, go out to dinner or organize a game night. This will help all of you take your mind off of running and you may learn something new about your running partners that you didn’t know before!

How do you deal with the taper period before your marathon? If you have any suggestions post them below!

Chelsea Hanson is a personal trainer and running coach who works at Running Fit in Ann Arbor. She can be reached at chelsea@prfitnessa2.com.