IT'S TAPER TIME! SHARPENING THE SAW FOR MARATHON DAY

It's spring marathon season and so many major and well know marathons are around the corner. With the excitement of coming to the end of a training cycle and doing your best on the day, comes the taper. Often leading to familiar terms like Maranoia and Taper Tantrums...

For those of you that are taking on the marathon for the first time, or tackling the marathon after a good training block, tapering is that magical period where you strategically reduce your training volume to arrive at race day feeling fresh, rested, and super-ready to conquer 26.2 miles. It's not just a trend of course; Science backs the taper's effectiveness. A 2007 study led by Laurent Bosquet found that tapering can improve performance by over 5.6% . That's a difference that can shave precious minutes off your marathon time!

So, how do you make the most of your taper? Here are some key principles that I myself and those I advise live by:

• Reduce mileage, NOT intensity: Gradually decrease your weekly mileage by 10-20% each week during your taper. This allows your body to recover from the accumulated stress of high mileage training, while maintaining that crucial fitness edge. Keep the sessions and paces on tempo runs as normal. I personally start my taper 14-18 days before the race. Everyone is different, but a general rule of thumb is 2-3 weeks.

• Maintain quality: Don't ditch workouts altogether! Shorter, faster efforts like tempo runs or fartleks and intervals can keep your legs sharp and race-ready and importantly keep reminding your body and mind of pushing through some discomfort.

• Prioritize rest and recovery: Listen to your body! Get plenty of sleep, focus on a healthy diet rich in carbohydrates, and don't be afraid to take an extra rest day if needed.

A Word on Low Mileage Training:

While tapering offers significant benefits for consistent high-mileage runners, it's important to be realistic and the 10-20% rule doesn't apply to all. If your training volume has been consistently low, or really sporadic throughout your program, due to illness, life events or low motivation a typical taper might not be necessary. In these cases, focus on maintaining a moderate level of activity while prioritizing rest and recovery. You may gain some fitness in the last 3 weeks by just being more consistent!

Thinking beyond the Running:

Your taper isn't just about physical preparation. Here are some additional strategies I use to sharpen my mental edge and advice I would regularly pass on.

• Visualization:  Close your eyes and picture yourself conquering the course. Imagine yourself feeling strong, confident, and gliding effortlessly towards the finish line. Visualization is a powerful tool to prime your mind for success.

• Practice Makes Perfect:  During your taper, take the time to practice running in your race day kit. This helps identify any potential issues with chafing or discomfort – the last thing you want on race day is a wardrobe malfunction!

• Keep busy: Focussing on the marathon is important, but whatever happens, its around3-5 hours of your life and deserves some perspective. Keep your mind focussed on life and things you enjoy to save you wasting energy obsessing over the marathon too much. If your mind wanders towards it, keep the focus positive, work on visualisation but then get back to what you were doing, as soon as possible in the weeks ahead of the marathon. Use your running time or active recovery to work on mental strength and positive thoughts of race day.
  

Remember, the taper is the final polish on your months of hard work. By following these tips and you'll have a much better chance of arriving at the starting line feeling primed to achieve your marathon goals!

For even more taper insights, check out this really great podcast from Noel Carroll on the No Finish Line Podcast. Series It was on the build up to the 2023 Dublin Marathon. Some great data and insights here.