Tapering

2 watchers

Julii Jul 2017 6:57pm, 17 Jul 2017 88 posts	0 Julii If you aren't following a set training guide, what do you think are the rules for tapering down training before a race? Half of usual distances or what?
jdarun Jul 2017 7:01pm, 17 Jul 2017 1,713 posts	0 jdarun No set rules for me, just make sure you aren't too fatigued but also don't go cold turkey.
K5 Gus Jul 2017 7:37pm, 17 Jul 2017 2,224 posts	0 K5 Gus What distance is the race, and what weekly mileage have you been doing ? For a short race, eg 5k, then very little taper required, just a day or so, but for a marathon then start cutting back from 3 weeks out and go something like 80%, then 60%, then 30-40%. Most plans will recommend you keep the intensity in the workouts, just cut back on volume. So don't just do a slow plod of all the miles in the taper - eg if you normally do a 6 mile tempo on 1 day, then still run at tempo, but less distance.
Julii Jul 2017 8:19pm, 17 Jul 2017 89 posts	0 Julii Ooh, that's interesting (about intensity but shorter time). I was half wondering on those points. My race is in 6 days, should be about 75 minutes & I started tapering down today.