Tapering 101
Whenever there is an upcoming race, the topic of tapering inevitably comes up. Amongst runners, this subject is a common ground for debate. Some runners swear by it, while others don’t believe in using a taper period at all.
Today, I’m hoping to answer a lot of questions surrounding a taper, including: what is the point of a taper, whether it works or not, and how to taper effectively. We’ll also discuss whether YOU should consider tapering for your upcoming race.
What is A Taper?
A taper refers to a period of time, typically in the 2-4 weeks leading up to a race or event, where an athlete intentionally decreases their workload. For runners, this typically means cutting out miles in the weeks leading up to a race. While we can hem and haw about the specifics of HOW to taper, it always involves a decrease in overall workload.
What Is The Point?
Inevitably, runners lose their minds over the idea of running less. The idea in itself seems counterproductive. If your goal is to be able to run more, why would you run less?
To answer this, we have to talk a little bit about physiology.
Imagine your body’s fuel sources are a drinking well. Each time you go for a run, or perform a cross-training session, you are depleting the resources of the well.
Just like a real well, you need to allow your “physiological well” to replenish itself before you draw from it again. This process takes time.
Unlike a drinking well, you can grow the size of your “physiological well”. In fact, this is exactly what a good training program aims to do.
By growing the size of the well, you’re increasing the amount of “water” you can draw each time, as well as increasing the frequency of which you can draw from the well.
Over the course of a long training block, fatigue accrues and your body tissues break down. Your well is getting depleted, slowly over time. As you approach race day, your goal is to have a full well!
This is the point of the taper: To allow you to show up on race day with your body’s fuel sources at their peak. This translates to an enjoyable experience and a possible PR.
If you don’t give your well time to refill, it’s likely that you’ll show up for race day slightly depleted and possibly over-trained. This translates to a crappy feeling during the race, and a less-than-stellar performance.
Do Tapers Actually Work?
The overwhelming answer to this question is yes. Tapers are used by nearly every professional athlete, regardless of sport. In fact, many professional teams pay high salaries to individuals whose sole job it is to maximize the benefit of the taper.
In fact, an effective taper can improve performance by as much as 3%! This number might seem small at first, but was collected from the best athletes in the world – Olympians! At the highest level of competition in the world, a fraction of a percent is nearly impossible to gain, and is often the difference between a Gold medal and not landing on the podium at all.
If the highest trained individuals in the world can glean 3% improvement in performance from a taper, it’s likely that you can get even more.
Is your goal to break the 2-hour mark on a half-marathon? A proper taper can help you shave nearly 4 minutes from your time. Without any changes to the rest of your training program!
OK, So How Do I Taper?
At this point, you might be realizing that tapering would be a great way to improve your performance. So how should you go about doing so?
Just like all things related to running, there’s A TON of information out there about how to taper effectively.
We take our recommendations from our own experience, as well as what is recommended in the scientific literature.
No two training programs are the same, and as such, no two tapers should be the same either. As a general rule of thumb, the harder your training program has been, the longer your taper should be.
In other words, if you’ve been taking big draws from the well, fairly often, then you’re going to need more time for the well to replenish itself.
Tapers should last anywhere from 2-4 weeks, and should begin immediately following the last “long run” of the training program. From this point onward, a progressive decrease in overall training volume should be implemented. For runners, this means less mileage each week.
But how much less?
Most studies seem to highlight the need to create a 40-60% reduction in mileage. An easy strategy to accomplish this, and also help quell fears of being under-prepared, is to implement a progressive reduction.
For example, if you are implementing a 2-week taper, then reduce overall mileage by 40% on week 1, and 60% on week 2.
One important piece to consider, is the intensity and frequency of your training. We recommend (as do other experts) to maintain the same frequency (runs/week) and intensity (race pace) during the taper period.
Is There Ever A Time Not To Taper?
In most cases, the taper is a necessary period that allows for the best race-day results.
One instance in which a taper might not be needed is if the “race” is being run as a training run itself. This would be akin to a marathon runner signing up for a half-marathon during the training block. The half-marathon is not the true “event” this runner is preparing for, and can be treated as a “long run” rather than a “race”.
Concluding Statements
In summary, if your goal is to show up as your best self on race day, then a taper is an excellent training tool to use. Without reducing your workload, you’ll perform less than your best and will also increase your risk of injury.
If you’re looking for help to take your running to the next level, or simply struggling to run without nagging aches or pains, we can help! We’ve worked with runners from their first 5K all the way up to 250 mile events. Our services, including running gait observation, cross-training, and running shoe analysis, have helped runners from all over Marin and Sonoma Counties to set PR’s free from pain. Simply shoot us a message and we’ll get you started on your way!