Two Weeks Out: To Taper or Not To Taper?

We're less than two weeks away from the first-ever half marathon in Hutchinson. Are you excited to be a part of history in the making?!

Our executive committee and planning committee are working hard to make sure this event is top-notch and one that you'll mark on your calendar year after year. We're up to about 250 participants...with that number multiplying by the day! THANK YOU for participating in our event as we raise funds for Hutchinson Recreation Commission youth scholarships and the Boys and Girls Clubs of Hutchinson. There's no doubt your race entry fee will be going toward TWO wonderful worthy causes and organizations!

That said, is everyone ready to run?! Some of you may be in taper mode, running your final double-digit or longer run this past weekend. Others of you may be using the Run for the Rocks as your final long run before you head off to a full marathon in October or later in the fall. Either way, we encourage you to keep listening to that body!

I don't know about you, but taper time seems to be the most difficult part of the training program! Runner's World and other publications say it's tough for most other runners, too. Your body doesn't feel quite right not pushing to the extreme. You're getting anxious, jittery, and don't know what to do with the extra "free" time as you tone down the miles. Keep on resting! From personal experience, it took me several races to figure out that tapering is GOOD for the body (such a simple concept, yet so difficult to grasp!). Personally I have run my best races and times when I've followed my training plan - all the way through to the taper time.

Enjoy, relax, hydrate, and stretch in these final days leading up to Run for the Rocks. We want to see you happy, healthy, and READY come race day on Sept. 25!

Happy running - and tapering!
Amy, AKA Mama on the Run

Check Out Our Bling Bling!

Here is what our age division winners will receive during our awards ceremony at Run for the Rocks! Our trophies are unique in that they're actual salt rocks from the Hutchinson salt mines. They've been carefully selected by staff from Underground Vaults and Storage - after all, they're the experts! Special thanks to UVS for donating the rocks.

Youth from the Boys and Girls Clubs vocational program have been putting their own touches on the trophies, too. They're carefully crafting the wooden bases and working on other trophy details so they're ready for race day. Special thanks to them as they use their talents for our event!

We'll have more bling to show you in the coming weeks....hint: it's the bling that all finishers will receive!

Until then, have a great Labor Day weekend. Celebrate the cool-down we're expecting with a RUN (I know I will!).

- Amy, AKA Mama on the Run