Run Work Live: Taper Like a Pro & Sleep Like a Champ—The Golden Rules You Need

By @runnerjmd | March 4, 2024

Happy Tuesday! Here is one running tip, one life hack and one quote to consider this week…

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Running tip

The golden rule of tapering goes:

You can’t win a race in the final two weeks, but you can ruin it. You have nothing to gain at this point, but you can make a costly mistake.

But the optimal taper length depends on the race distance.

For 10K and shorter races: Your last big workout should be 10–14 days before race day.
For a half marathon: Aim for two weeks out.
For a marathon:Three to four weeks is ideal. Why? Because your final big workout for a marathon takes that long to fully recover from!

In fact, when it comes to marathons, the real golden rule of tapering might extend to the entire final month before race day.

For more on the Golden Rule of Tapering.

Check out the Art and Science of the 5k/10k taper

Or maybe you need The art (and some science) of the marathon taper

Life hack

The 10-3-2-1-0 Rule for Better Sleep:

10 hours before bed: Stop caffeine
3 hours before bed: Stop eating.
2 hours before bed: Stop stressful work.
1 hour before bed: Stop looking at screens.
0 times you hit snooze

For a deep dive on this and many more sleep tips, check out this article on health.com

Quote

“All that matters is that you are making something you love, to the best of your ability, here and now.”
― Rick Rubin

Wishing you a great week filled with great runs. Keep the momentum going! 🏃‍♀️💼🌟

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