Proper Taper Technique: Thanksgiving Style

Back before Wineglass Marathon I did a post about going to an NFL game during taper. Now training for CIM, Thanksgiving happened to fall during taper- so much winning to be had.

This year wasn't a traditional Thanksgiving for me, John and I made the executive decision Wednesday night that we were going to cancel our travel plans. 15+ hours in a car over 2 days didn't sound appealing, and that is if the weather is good. So this meant last minute meal planning and things like that, but it worked out to be a very productive and happy Thanksgiving for the 2 of us at home.

Anyways-- I was really excited a few weeks ago when I realized that Thanksgiving fell during taper time for CIM, here's a few reasons why it's awesome.

1. All.The.Food- I mean, seriously. If you want to drool a little(okay, a lot) do an Instagram search for #thanksgiving, believe me--amazing looking food.

2. Time with loved ones- this always helps keep your mood up when your taper emotions are running high.

3. The liquid carbs, maybe not the same liquid carbs as an NFL game, but come on. Beer, wine, whatever- it's all the same right?

4. Football- Thanksgiving is also a football day, see said NFL post for many of the reasons why football can be great taper time(even if you are only watching it on TV).

5. Blame it on the Turkey. We get tired and lazy during taper without all those endorphins from running- instead of blaming it on the taper (and then your friends and family roll their eyes at you) just blame it on the Turkey and the tryptophan.

6. Birds of a feather. Everyone else sits around and relaxes after dinner so you blend right in. So long as you remember to hide your compression sleeves under your pants.

7. Did I mention that food? Consider it pre-carb-loading depending on when the race is. The timing was damn near perfect for me. Load up now before carb-depleting early next week and then re-loading before the race.

8. Since you pretty much spend the day eating all day, it's good endurance and pacing training. You remind yourself not to start off too fast or you'll fade later (and miss the pies and desserts). So may not be negative split running but in your head it can be (and in your belly).

9. It's a distraction. For the days leading up to Thanksgiving, all you are thinking about is what you need to make, what you are going to eat, where you need to travel to, perhaps what you wanna buy on black Friday(not me thanks). With your mind on all that, it's really easy to not dwell on the fact that you are tapering to run a marathon soon.

10. Never underestimate the power of gratitude. You should try and be thankful each and every day for the blessings in your life, but especially on Thanksgiving. Spending time appreciating all that you have (instead of focusing on what you don't have, or things that could be different) will really help you get into the mindset you need before the big day (marathon day). We are blessed with the gift to run, the ability to put one foot in front of the other, the power and strength it takes to push our limits and reach for our goals and dreams- never forget that.