Final Training Before Tarawera

I hate tapering. No, I REALLY hate tapering. And I am speaking from experience, not just an irrational fear of not training enough, or having to take a rest day or two. I've got no problem with that.  But I do have a problem with going into a race feeling sluggish and lethargic, and that's what a long taper period does for me.

And it appears that I'm not alone - check out this clip of Kilian Jornet talking about his preparation for the Western States 100 mile endurance race - 35 hours of training in the week running up to race day!

Now, I'm no Kilian, but what it does show me is that everyone is different, and there's no way that I'm going to follow a strict programme of tapering because someone found it useful and wrote it in to a generic training programme.  I'm sure that it does work for some, even most, people, just not me.

In part Matt Fitzgerald is to blame.  He wrote an excellent book, which I recommend to anyone interested in a different approach to training, called "Run: The Mind-Body Method of Running by Feel" (see http://velopress.com/books/run/).  His hypothesis is that we can train better by relying less on formulas and gadgets, and more on listening to our body and adapting training to suit our individual strengths (and in my case weaknesses).

So on to training. This Saturday is my "A" race for the first half of the year, the 100km Tarawera Ultra.  I love this race. It will be my fourth time running it.  I've experimented with training for it every year, and what I have found is that high mileage on the road doesn't really help (funny that!), but that a mix of high intensity short runs (like tempo 5ks) and race specific training on trails does.

On Sunday I did my last real training run - 42km around the hills of Whatipu in a touch over 6 hours.  It was very hilly, and technical in parts, and the perfect pre-Tarawera training run as far as I'm concerned.  I ran in my Hoka One One Stinson Evo shoes, and I can honestly say that I came through it without a single blister or black toenail (even though part of me misses those badges of honour!), and most importantly of all, no soreness in my legs at all!  The physical side was demanding, but about 2/3 of the way around I realised it wasn't really about physical training at this point - it was about feeling confident that I've done the right training, and that when I step up to the start line in 6 days from now I will be ready.  And I am.

Before I go, here are a couple of photos from the run - pre-dawn, under a crescent moon.  These sights never cease to remind me how lucky I am to be a trail runner in NZ. It is the best.

For those of you running Tarawera, I'll see you in a few days!  For the rest of you, I hope to see you out on a trail one day.