Week 8 On to a half marathon Starts

ONE MORE WEEK LEFT TO THE TAPER! It's harder than you would have thought when you were ramping up the mileage in the middle of the plan, and expecting to run more than 10 miles in your long runs! I don't have experience with marathon training (?yet) but I imagine it would terrifying to drop down to taper levels before that long of a race. I worry whether I'll be able to cover the same distance again if I haven't "practiced" doing it more times, let alone finish with a respectable time. After all, that last 13+mile training run wasn't a thing of beauty; it was a struggle!

That is why we rely on the advice of trainers and coaches. The taper in this EarnedRuns plan was based on advice from Jeff Galloway in a Runner's World article from 2013, "How To Taper For Your First Half Marathon". The mileage is quite light compared to other tapers that are not specifically for first time half marathon participants. If you are "hooked on halfs" after running your first one and continue to train to race longer distances, you might try other tapers for experienced/advanced runners. There's one on the website for the Chicago Half Marathon by Rebekah Mayer.

RUN HAPPY!

http://www.runnersworld.com/race-training/how-to-taper-for-your-first-half-marathon

http://www.chicagohalfmarathon.com/2014/08/top-tips-for-a-successful-taper/