IT’S well known that running releases feel good chemicals known as endorphins and for the last couple of months the streets of Reading have been littered with thousands of happy, smiling, contented runners.

But for the next couple of weeks the collective mood will turn dark as runners across the city move into the famous ‘taper’ phase of their half marathon preparations. With fewer miles available to generate the Runner’s ‘high’, the best way to describe the tapering runner is like a bit like a caged animal.

The only thing harder than being a runner in taper-mode is living with a runner in taper-mode!

If you spend any significant amount of time with a Reading Half Marathon runner, I would ask that you have a little extra patience at this important time.

Every niggle will be a full blown injury. They’ll talk constantly and incoherently about the race, using strange terminology such as ‘minutes per mile’, ‘carb loading’ and ‘refuelling strategy’. They’ll be snappy, irritable and appear confused at the simple suggestion that they just relax.

I can assure you that this is perfectly ordinary behaviour and after March 22 things will return to normal.

The best thing you can do as a loving partner or caring friend in the meantime is to hold them back when they tell you they just want to ‘catch up on a few miles they missed’.

This is not to be recommended, despite their logical and passionate justifications to the contrary.

These runners should be sedated with plates of pasta and isotonic sports drinks, and encouraged to spend more time focusing on the training that they have managed to do, rather than the runs they might have missed. Sign up at www.readinghalfmarathontraining.co.uk for more last minute tips and strategies to make the most of the big day.

George Anderson is the official training partner for the 2015 Vitality Reading Half Marathon. For more information about training for this event please visit http://readinghalfmarathon.com/community/training-advice.htm