marathon | Preppy Runner - Theodora Blanchfield

If you are a regular reader, you know I’m tapering for the NYC Marathon. You’re either incredibly sick of marathon posts, or you’re dying to see how I do. (Okay, fine. You’re probably just sick of marathon posts. Too bad. I’ll be writing about the NYC Marathon for at least the next week and a half.)

So, the other day, I wrote about how one of my taper madness symptoms was taking it easy. I was starting to get bored with cross-training, and did a spin and yoga class last weekend–and then I was really sore afterwards when my muscles needed to be rebuilding.

Well, I’ve been awesome at resting this week. My workout schedule this week looked like this:

Monday: rest (was going to run but brought two left shoes out to my parents’)

Tuesday: run 4 miles on the Alter-G + physical therapy + long walk home

Wednesday: unplanned rest day

Thursday: 3 mile treadmill run

Friday: physical therapy in AM, long walk home at night

Most of the time, I do push myself relatively hard to work out, so I am totally going with this “I need to rest to recover” thing. Especially because I am one achy lady right now. There’s the knee injury that I’ve been dealing with, and I’m having some lower back pain, which isn’t terribly unusual for me with running, unfortunately.

I have two hot dates tonight:

This guy.

And this guy.

But not at the same time. Who do you think I am??

I’m also starting to get some “phantom pains.” What the hell is a phantom pain, do you ask? Doesn’t it either hurt or…not? According to Runner’s World (which has never led me astray):

Twinges and passing aches are all part of the body’s rejuvenation process. “During a taper, tissue repair on the microscopic level causes muscle twitches and sometimes muscle cramps as the body adapts,” says Dr. Smurawa. Also, when we run less, and worry more about our marathon, everyday aches and pains-which would normally be ignored–get exaggerated to the point of lunacy.

This Dr. Smurawa character also suggests long baths, whirlpools and massages, and suggests thinking of each pain as a sign that your body is healing itself and preparing you for the marathon. And appears to know me very well. The slight ankle pain on the treadmill last night? The soreness in my quads? (Hopefully) all signs that my body is healing itself.

Marathoners (and half-marathoners): what part of the taper drives you the maddest?

Non-marathoners: what’s driving you mad right now???

When I was overweight, I was pretty good at taking it easy.

This was not the body of someone who spent a lot of time at the gym or running.

Since losing weight, I’ve learned to like exercise a lot more, and even make it part of my social life.

Yay running with friends.

While I still wouldn’t say I’m addicted to exercise, and while I still consider it a victory every time I choose working out over being lazy, I do enjoy exercise a lot more than I used to. But I still don’t think I push myself too hard or overexert myself.

Well, yesterday, I went back to the physical therapist and my lower back was really sore and my knee was a little crunchy again.

“How did your long run go?”

“Great! No pain or crunchiness, just a little stiffness.”

As we continued working on my knees and hips, I let it slip that, oh, I might have done a spin class the day before my long run and my legs felt really tired.

“Why would you do that? Spin is not an easy workout–especially the day before a long run.”

“Because I was bored with my usual cross-training of biking and swimming on my own?”

Well, now, as my lovely physical therapist so kindly reminded me, is not the time to take a class that’s hard. Even if I think I can handle it. My muscles need to be rebuilding themselves and repairing themselves from all of the work I’ve been putting them through in the past almost-4 months of marathon training.

“So I probably shouldn’t tell you about that yoga class I did Sunday and felt really sore afterwards?”

I’m posting this as a reminder to myself and a reminder to anyone else tapering–NO. HARD. WORKOUTS. Nothing that makes you sore. Those hard workouts will be there after the marathon.

I was subjected to this sweaty chamber of anti-gravity as my punishment.

Fellow marathoners: what’s your next-favorite hard workout after running that you’re excited to get back to after a marathon? For me, I’d say 30/60/90 (I haven’t dared to try it during training), barre classes and the occasional spin class.

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I’ve picked my 30/60/90 giveaway winners! (Or, that handy little plugin has.)

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Blair, Cristina and Jaimie: can you please email me (theodora at losingweightinthecity dot com) your mailing addresses?

Preppy Runner – Theodora Blanchfield

Writer/Therapist/Run Coach

Tag Archives: marathon

Taper Madness: (Phantom) Pain

Taper Madness: Taking it Easy (+ 30/60/90 Giveaway Winners!)