Tapering: how to arrive fresh on race day
Tapering reduces fatigue without losing fitness. How long it lasts, how much to cut volume and what to do in the final week.
The last weeks before a race aren't for gaining fitness, but for shedding accumulated fatigue without losing the fitness you already have. That's called tapering.
How long it lasts
- Short races, 5 to 10 km: 7 to 10 days.
- Half marathon or Olympic triathlon: 10 to 14 days.
- Marathon, middle distance or ultra: 2 to 3 weeks.
What to cut and what not
Reduce volume progressively, down to 40-60% less than in your big weeks. Keep the intensity: a few short efforts at race pace preserve the feeling of speed.
Form in numbers
If you track your training load, during the taper you'll see fatigue fall faster than fitness. Form, the difference between the two, rises and should be positive on race day.
Typical mistakes
- Squeezing in a last-minute hard workout "to check".
- Changing gear, shoes or nutrition in the final week.
- Panicking about feeling sluggish: it's normal in the first days of a taper.