In this space, we will share the key or favorite workouts of our running friends and elites and provide all the Runivores out there some training tips. Run with a smile, of course, but be ready to take on some pain!!
The Taipei Marathon is coming up fast in a week and half! In this edition we have invited a good friend of ours, Toru San, to share his tapering routine for the last week prior to game day.
After running 3hr 5min at the Taipei Marathon in December 2015, Toru began his year-long plan to break three. Last December he again took on the city marathon and pushed his personal best to 3hr 2min, and then he shattered the three-hour barrier with a blistering 2hr 56min at the Standard Chartered Marathon earlier this year (2023 update: Toru’s PB is now 2:46). Through good old fashion hard work and quantifying as well as qualifying his training data the past year, he has designed and shared many of his workouts, which have helped many of us take our marathon running to the next level.
Recent results
- 2023 Taipei City Marathon 2:46’28 (PB)
- 2019 Standard Chartered Marathon 2:56’44
- 2017 Taipei Highway Marathon 2:59’37 7th overall
- 2017 Tiger Leopard Lake Trail Race 35km 3rd Ooverall
- 2017 Mt. HeHuan Marathon 44.5km 6th overall
Without further ado, lets hand it over to Toru.
Marathon Tapering by Toru Fukai
My motto for tapering is “too little is better than too much”. My only goal for the week prior to a marathon is to ensure I feel absolutely no fatigue when I step up to the starting line.
I typically run no more than 20km during the last week, and schedule four rest days. The day before is complete rest. I walk as little as possible and prefer to attach my ass to the couch. I want to be fresh as a daisy for the next morning. I’m a bit extreme in this regard, since I don’t’ even do pre-race warm ups, choosing to save my energy for the actual run.
If your target is to finish, then doing what I said above is sufficient. However, if you have a time in mind, getting enough rest while still maintaining your cardiovascular function and speed at tip-top shape is a must.
For the final week, I will schedule two marathon-pace training runs. Below was what I did prior to the 2017 Standard Chartered Marathon.
Six days before the race, I did a 7km run at marathon pace and another for 2km two days prior. This routine allows me to stimulate muscles for speed and cardio without accumulating fatigue. A light core workout five days before follows the same logic.
（Sun）Rest
（Mon）5km warm up + 7km marathon pace + cool down 2km
（Tue）Core muscle workout
（Wed）Rest
（Thur）Rest
（Fri）2km warm up + 2km marathon pace + wind sprints 200m x 3 (80-90% intensity) + 2km cool down
（Sat）Rest. Ass on couch as much as possible
（Sun）THE BIG DAY. Good luck folks!!
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Got a big race coming up? A worthy goal and a smart fueling plan go together like peanut butter and jelly. Here are some helpful articles to help you train and fuel smart.
- Energy Gel Dos and Don’ts
- The Complete Guide to Fueling (Daily Nutrition, Recovery, Energy Gel Strategy)
- To Eat or Not to Eat Before Workouts? Energy Gels as Daily Fuel
- The Best Energy Gels for Ultramarathons
- Review: Honey Stinger Organic Energy Gels, Instant Surge
