The Countdown Continues: 5 Days until Ruckus St. Louis

Ruckus St. Louis is right around the corner!  In fact, our muddiest obstacle course yet will be open in just 5 days.  So what should you do to prepare for Ruckus St. Louis this week?  It’s time to breathe a sigh of relief, RuckStars, because this week is taper week!

What is taper exactly?  It’s a term that long distance runners, swimmers and bikers long to hear after an intense season of non-stop training.  Taper is what happens when practices and usual exercise literally “taper off” and allow for athletes to recover before their biggest races.

So now that you’ve been training for Ruckus St. Louis for a few months (or maybe weeks or days if you’re running the Heater), it’s taper time!  Here are our top tips for tapering just five days before Ruckus St. Louis:

• Do you last long run a week before the big day.  After that, it’s time to cut down your mileage at least 80% of what you were doing before.
• Less is more!  Five days before Ruckus, keep in mind that the less running you do, the better.  Allow your body to build up that energy that you would normally be burning during a long run.
• Resist strength training.  Allow your muscles to rest and skip your strength-training routine in the final five days leading up to Ruckus. 
• Mentally prepare by visualizing yourself hurdling over tires, swinging on ropes and climbing over walls.  The more you mentally prepare, the better you will execute.
• Eat plenty of carbohydrates before the race (like whole-grain breads, pasta and cereal) and drink plenty of water.  Try to resist drinking alcohol as it can have a dehydrating effect.
• Two days before Ruckus St. Louis, resist the urge to run.  This will help you build up that extra bit of energy that you will need to finish up those obstacle with style.  

Best of luck to you during taper and we will see you on May 5^th at the GCS Ballpark! 

Participating in Ruckus St. Louis? Check out our Facebook Photo Contest and win a free registration for the 2013 race!