Taper Talk

With my next marathon only a week away, I've been tapering for the last couple of weeks.  I'd like to review how to taper properly, and why it is so important.

To train properly for a marathon puts an enormous amount of stress on the body.  You need to taper the last 2-3 weeks to make sure you have fresh legs for the race, and are prepared to perform your best.

Tapering ideally starts 3 weeks before the race, but can be compressed down to two weeks if need be.  The distance of each run should be decreased by ~25-33%.  For example, my midweek runs decrease from 5 to 4 to 3 miles the weeks before the race.  My Sunday long run, after peaking at 20 miles, drops to 12 and then 8 miles the week before the race.

Tapering gives your muscles, ligaments, and tendons a chance to heal before the race.  With proper carbo-loading, you replenish your body's storage of glycogen, the key fuel upon which you rely during the marathon.

Many runners resist tapering and do not do it properly.  That's a mistake, because the taper is critically important to any training program.

Here's what my two week taper looks like, after a 20 mile long run.

M     T     W     T     F     S     S
rest   4     3       3     rest   6     8
rest   3     2       2     rest   rest race