Rest/Taper

Dred said:

since i'm in my taper (3 weeks to go), do i really need to do a minimum
amount of running? my schedule calls for long runs of 12 and 8,
mid-week middle distance of 1/2 that, and 2 runs of 4 miles per week.
if i decide to rest for a week or so, will it hurt my performance in
the marathon at all?

Records have been set after a week of enforced rest.

OTOH, I foolishly ran my fall marathon last year, after having run only
22 miles over the prior two weeks with a hamstring injury. I felt that
this severe a lack of running sessions and mileage immediately before
to the race was more harmful than helpful - I was more rusty than
rested.

Dred said:

if i decide to rest for a week or so, will it hurt my performance in
the marathon at all?

Maybe, maybe not. But I think at this point you might be deciding if
you want to just finish, or do a good time. This is a question that
will probably be answered on race day.

i see a doc today. i'm actually feeling pretty good, but cautious. i'm
thinking that a week off NOW, then 2 easy weeks before the marathon,
might be the way to go. we'll see. i think that resting now rather than
immediately before the race might be the way to go.

Dred said:

i'm thinking that a week off NOW, then 2 easy weeks before
the marathon, might be the way to go.

That sounds plausible to me as well. Though if you have a somewhat
challenging time goal, you may not want to take those weeks TOO
ridiculously easy, to the extent you can exert yourself without
aggravating the injury. I'm not speaking from much experience here,
but common wisdom says you reduce mileage but not necessarily intensity
during your taper. If you'll be happy to enjoy your 26.2 at a
leisurely pace, then maybe it's best to err on the side of caution and
healing.