Taper correctly to perform your best on race day.
Many endurance athletes do not prepare properly for a race, like a marathon.
In the final few weeks before an event, they increase their weekly distance and training load.
They may think that getting in more training before a race better prepares them. And to an extent, it does — but not too soon before a race.
Instead of increasing time spent training, they should be tapering — when you reduce training load closer to race day.
Don’t know what a taper is or how it works? Continue reading and find out how you can add this essential missing piece to your training.
What you will learn:
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What tapering is and when you should do it
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How to progressively taper in the weeks before a race
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What to do when tapering for the best results
What is tapering?
A taper is a progressive reduction in training load (mainly volume) in the weeks before a race or event [2].
Reducing training volume and load allows your body to recover from a previous training block.
During a training program, you accumulate fatigue, whether you realise it or not.
Sometimes, this is more obvious — say after your first long run in a while or hard interval session. The next day, you may feel tired or experience delayed-onset muscle soreness (DOMS).
Your training plan balances this fatigue so you can perform each session and workout when needed without building too much fatigue or muscle damage and soreness in too short a period.
However, fatigue still accumulates, even with rest days.
By reducing training volume before a race, you give your body time to not only recover from this fatigue but also physiologically adapt to your training. It’s like cashing in your training tokens or levelling up a video game character.
When should you taper?
You should taper for any race in which you want to perform your best, and definitely for longer or more intense races like marathons or ultra marathons.
For shorter race distances, like 5Ks or 10Ks, you can usually do a shorter taper of a few days to reduce fatigue and better manage training load and stress placed on the body so you're fresh on race day.
What should I do when I’m tapering?
If you’re following a training plan created by a reputable coach, whether a marathon, an ultra-run, or a centurion ride, there’s a very good chance they have built in a taper at the end of the plan.
However, if not, or if you have a less structured training approach or create your own training plans, I cover what to do below.
Reduce training load
The length of a taper depends on the race or event and the amount of accumulated fatigue.
Research shows that the optimal taper for most swimmers, runners, and cyclists is 8-14 days with a progressive reduction in training volume of 41-60%, while maintaining training intensity. [2]
One study also found that a reduction in training 3 weeks before a marathon helped runners improve their finish times by an average of 5 minutes [1].
When tapering before an event, it’s important to maintain some intensity.
Keep performing intervals and tempo efforts, for example, but reduce the number of intervals or tempo time.
Strides at the end of easy sessions are also good for this.
You want to stay sharp but avoid building up unnecessary fatigue.
Tapering before a race also has many psychological benefits, like improved mood and performance, better sleep quality, improved perception of effort, and a reduction in total stress [2].
Be disciplined with your taper
Most new runners and non-competitive athletes follow an unstructured taper with little to no discipline.
Instead of reducing training load in the weeks before a race or event, they increase load and intensity.
This may include doing their longest run before a marathon, 1 week before race day (usually justified as a way to know they can run 26.2 miles).
However, increasing training load too soon before your race can add to the fatigue and also increase injury risk.
Many professional and elite marathon runners only run 1-3 marathons a year.
Their approach to training is disciplined and progressive. With fewer marathons and intense races on the calendar, this reduces injury risk and helps balance fatigue so they can perform at their best when needed.
They also follow a structured and progressive taper. While their volume and intensity may be much higher than what you currently do, we can all learn many lessons from the elite crowd.
More is not always better.
Prioritise quality sleep & nutrition
When doing a taper in the lead-up to a race, this does not mean you should fall out of routine.
Prioritise quality sleep to help get the most out of the reduced training load to ensure your body repairs and rebuilds effectively.
Additionally, eat a well-balanced diet with plenty of carbohydrates, vegetables to protect your immune system, and protein to help repair and rebuild muscle tissue.
In the final few days (2-3), consider carb loading if needed for your event.
How long should I taper before a race?
A usual taper before a race is anywhere from 3 to 4 weeks.
You should progressively reduce training volume week by week, maintaining some intensity.
You want to feel sharp, refreshed, and most importantly, not fatigued on race day.
It is worth noting that some athletes may respond better to a longer taper and others a shorter one.
As you progress through your endurance career, try what works best for you to help get the most out of your performance.
Key takeaways
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A taper is when you reduce training load in the build-up to a race or event
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You can taper for any race that you want to perform well (usually, you need fewer weeks of tapering for shorter events)
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A typical taper lasts 1 to 3 weeks, progressively reducing training load and volume each week
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For the best possible taper, stay disciplined, prioritise quality sleep and nutrition
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References:
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Smyth, B. and Lawlor, A., 2021. Longer disciplined tapers improve marathon performance for recreational runners. Frontiers in sports and active living, 3, p.735220.
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Stone, M.J., Knight, C.J., Hall, R., Shearer, C., Nicholas, R. and Shearer, D.A., 2023. Correction to: The Psychology of Athletic Tapering in Sport: A Scoping Review. Sports Medicine, 53(4), pp.803-806.
