Tapering helps you arrive at race day fresh but ready to perform. The key is reducing the workload while keeping workouts sharp.
Understanding the purpose of a taper
A taper is a planned reduction in training before race day to allow your body to recover from accumulated fatigue. The goal is to lower your overall training volume, so you arrive feeling rested, without losing the fitness and speed you've built.
Many runners make the mistake of cutting both volume and intensity, which can leave you feeling sluggish or out of rhythm. Instead, the taper should preserve workout quality even as total mileage decreases.
Structure of a three-week marathon taper
The last three weeks before your marathon are critical for balancing recovery and readiness. Here’s a practical guide on how to adjust your training each week:
Week 3 before race day
- Reduce your total weekly mileage by about 20%.
- Drop your long run distance to around 24 kilometers (15 miles).
- Maintain the intensity of your key workouts: keep one tempo run and one VO₂ max session but shorten their duration.
- Keep easy runs easy, focusing on recovery.
Week 2 before race day
- Cut volume further by roughly 25% compared to week 3.
- Shorten your long run to 18 kilometers (11 miles), including the last 5 kilometers at your planned marathon pace.
- Incorporate sharpening intervals, such as 6 repetitions of 800 meters at race pace or slightly faster, with full recovery.
- Continue easy runs for recovery and to maintain a running habit.
Week 1 before race day
- Reduce your weekly mileage by around 40% from week 2.
- Include one short tempo workout early in the week to keep race pace feeling natural.
- Replace remaining runs with easy, relaxed jogs focusing on rest.
- Maintain race-day intensity during these limited sessions to keep your legs responsive without adding fatigue.
Tips for a successful taper
- Stick to your planned reduction in volume — avoid the urge to add extra runs or intensity.
- Hydrate well and prioritize nutrition to support recovery.
- Monitor how you feel. Mild restlessness or feeling slightly bored is normal; it usually means your taper is working.
- Use this time to finalize race logistics and mentally prepare.
Final thoughts
A well-executed taper helps you enter your marathon feeling light and sharp. By lowering mileage gradually but keeping workout intensity, you can shake off fatigue while staying primed for your best performance.
Racendo supports your race prep by keeping your training, pace targets, and race details organized, so your taper fits smoothly into your full race plan.