There are many fads or trends that might pop up in the running scene. I can confirm that a taper is not one of them!
Despite how alien the concept might feel, a taper for a race is super important, especially for the marathon distance. A taper can be defined as “a systematic reduction of training volume and sometimes intensity. Done for the purpose of recovery and often done prior to an important event”.
The idea is to have you as rested and ready for your event as possible. If you keep training at high intensity right up until your event, the chance of you being exhausted and performing well below potential is highly likely.
A taper period is usually 1 – 3 weeks, but depends on the race distance and your training volume. During this time, you can expect to see a reduction in training volume and often intensity. You might still have the odd tough session, but this will usually be in a shorter duration to previous workouts in your training block.
In order to fully lean into the taper, it helps to understand the primary benefits that can come from having a good taper:
There is really no need to be concerned that you will lose fitness in your taper phase, as long as you have bouts of intense exercise integrated into a taper, there will be no loss of fitness.
Additionally, muscular and cardiovascular benefits of exercise are not realised until at least 7 to 10 days after an exercise session.
You might still feel like you are just eager to run and have too much time on your hands though.
So, why not spend the time planning for your upcoming marathon in Milan by ensuring that you have everything else in check? Focus on your mobility and stretching exercises, nail your nutrition and hydration, and take some time to study the course map and make sure any race day logistic plans are in place.
The hard work is done, enjoy the downtime, and remember how far you have come.
