With only a few more days left until race day, I don’t want to overdo it and come in feeling sore & taxed. But I also don’t want to do nothing and come in feeling sluggish and out of sync.

So my goal for the final week of preparation is to do everything I can to come into race day feeling fresh, loose, and sharp.

1.) Taper

If I want to be fresh, then I have to taper my mileage (ideally starting to take a little bit off my workouts two weeks beforehand). I’m still sticking to the 80/20 rule: 80% of my running is easy, only 20% is hard or fast. The main difference is that I don’t schedule my normal long run during the week of a race.

Monday is usually close to a normal, hard workout for me, but then I’m going easy on Tuesday. On Wednesday I may only do a little mobility work if anything. Thursday is just 2 quick miles at a little under 10k pace to stay sharp. And Friday I run 2 easy miles to shake out the jitters. Then I’m ready to race on Saturday.

2.) Rehab

If I’ve been dealing with any nagging soreness, tightness, or pain, I use this week to address those issues.

If it hurts or is getting inflamed, I ice it and, if need be, rest it.

If it’s tight, I like to stretch, get on the foam roller, use the massage gun, and/or apply some CBD cream if necessary.

You might have your own favorite methods, but the important thing is to spend some extra time on your rehab or prehab routines.

3.) Take care of yourself

Get some extra sleep this week. I never sleep well before the night before a race, so I want to make sure I get plenty of sleep the rest of the week.

Drink a lot of water. Good hydration doesn’t just start on race day; it’s a lifestyle. Try to drink about a gallon of water every day leading up to the race.

And don’t forget about your mental, emotional, and spiritual wellbeing. It’s natural for pre-race nerves to start creeping into the mind at this point. You don’t want anxiety or fear to get you all locked up heading into the race.

Taking some time to reflect, or perhaps pray, can help you to maintain a healthy perspective, keep a hold on what’s most important in life, and remember to have fun with it!

When you can avoid overtraining and invest some extra time into getting your body and mind right during this final week, you’re much more likely to perform your best on race day.

Good luck!