Tapering For Your Race Made Simple

Edited by: Danielle Abel

So you signed up for a race, your training is going well, you know you need to taper, but you aren't quite sure how? Well, in this article, we're going to break down the 4 most common races and reveal how to structure your taper so you can perform your best on race day. 

In our experience, a 5k, 10k, half marathon, and marathon are some of the most common races. However, if you're not working with a coach, it might be intimidating to figure out how to reduce your lifting and running without structured guidance. The biggest thing to remember is that as the distance of the endurance event grows longer, you'll want your taper to be longer, too. 

We also need to be careful with tapering for too long. For example, tapering for more than 21 days may negatively impact your endurance. If you've never tapered before, we recommend keeping detailed notes in your training log so you can reference them next time. Keeping notes of what you did and how you performed can be really helpful to look back upon. 

What is a Taper, Anyway?

Tapering simply refers to a decrease in your training before your race. It's called a taper because it's a way to reduce energy expenditure through training but also not stop training completely. If you took weeks off before your race completely, you may lose some of the hard earned training adaptations you've earned building up to your race like:

• Increased amount of blood pumped through your heart per minute (cardiac output)
• Lower heart rate due to increased blood available with each beat (stroke volume)
• Increased oxygen uptake & utilization by bodily tissues (VO2 max)
• Increased respiratory rate, depth, and capacity (tidal volume)

The taper allows your body to recuperate and refers to both the intensity and duration of your training. Maybe you've heard of a taper, but you're not exactly sure how to use it in your training. If so, keep reading, and we'll explain more about what it is and what you may need to consider. 

Key Benefits of Taper Include:

Tapering allows the body to fully recover from the accumulated stress of training. This period of reduced training load is not about losing fitness but rather about maximizing the benefits gained from prior training. During a taper, the body replenishes energy stores, repairs muscle tissue, and reduces fatigue. 

• Increases in muscle & liver glycogen
• Repair to muscles
• Improved neuromuscular function
• Enhanced immune system function
• Better sleep & recovery

The most effective taper is tailored to the athlete's individualized needs and the demands of their race or sport. The duration can vary, but tapers usually last between 7 and 28 days. 

What Exactly Gets Tapered?

In general, volume gets tapered, as does intensity, but to a lesser degree. The intensity refers to how high your heart rate gets for your endurance sessions. The higher the intensity, the more acidic your muscles become, reducing performance. Running in Zones 4 & 5 (80-100% of your maximum heart rate) is very fatiguing on the body, and ahead of a race, we want to reduce and prevent fatigue.

During a taper, most of your runs will probably be near Zones 2 & 3, with 1 or 2 runs in the upper zones. 

The volume refers to how many minutes of endurance training you do per week. For example, you might run 4 days per week for a total of 210 minutes per week. During a taper you might back this off to 126 minutes for the week (a reduction in volume of 40%). 

The most common approaches to tapering include:

• Linear Taper: A gradual and consistent decrease in training volume throughout the taper period
• Step Taper: An abrupt reduction (usually > or = 50%) in training volume maintained throughout the taper period
• Progressive Taper: Combines elements of the linear and step taper, starting with an initial reduction in volume, followed by smaller, gradual decreases

When Should You Start a Taper?

The distance of your race will determine at what point you should start tapering. The longer your race is, the longer your taper should be. For example, you might need to start tapering about 2 weeks out for marathon and half marathon-length events. However, remember that aerobic endurance adaptations at their peak only last about 3 weeks, so you won't want to taper too soon. 

There isn't a perfect way to taper. If you like the idea of reducing frequency each week, you could do it that way. Or, if you like the idea of keeping with your frequency but reducing the length of the session, you could also do it that way. There is not one "perfect" way to taper; it's more about implementing the strategy in a way that works for you. 

The list below goes through some common race lengths and provides more detail on how a taper might look:

• 5k - taper about 1 week out; consider reducing your lifting & running volume by about 30-40% 
• 10k - taper about 10 days out; you'll want to reduce your lifting & running volume by about 35-45% 
• Half marathon  - taper about 10-14 days out; your lifting & running volume may need to be reduced by about 40-50%
• Marathon - taper about 14-17 days out; it may be helpful to decrease your lifting & running volume by about 45-55%

See how as the length of the race gets longer, you'll want to taper for a longer duration of time? Longer events require more tapering time because of the body's ability to recover following intense training. If you don't allow your body enough time to repair and rebuild following all of the training you've been doing, it's likely you won't be at your peak performance come race day. 

Beyond Tapering: Nutrition and Mental Readiness

Tapering your training is only one part of proper race preparation; it's also essential not to overlook your nutrition and mental health. From a nutrition standpoint, ensure you're eating adequate carbohydrates to replenish your muscle & liver glycogen. Depending on the distance of your event, you may even consider doing a carbohydrate load ahead of your race or planning your intra-race nutrition.

Since you won't be training as much, take advantage of the extra time you have by getting some extra sleep. If you skimp on sleep ahead of your race, it's likely that you won't be as well prepared and won't feel as recovered as you could on race day.

Lastly, if you get pre-race jitters, consider using guided imagery to visualize yourself getting ready for your race, traveling to your race, attending the event, and racing. The simple act of imagining yourself in this scenario can help you prepare ahead of time and be more comfortable on the day of your race. 

Training Programs Available

Whether you're a beginner or a seasoned athlete, our Hybrid Athlete Team program adapts to your fitness level. Progressive training ensures constant growth, and complimentary expert guidance and coaching from us guarantees you're on the right track to hitting your running and lifting goals. Plus, get guidance with your nutrition to help you keep making progress. Click here to check out our Hybrid Athlete Team program on Train Heroic today.