Glossary
Taper
Cutting training volume before a race while keeping some intensity. Meta-analysis puts the typical gain near 3% over a 2-week taper.
What it is
A planned reduction in training before a race. Volume drops sharply. Intensity mostly stays.
Bosquet and colleagues pooled 27 studies in 2007. The pattern that worked best cut volume by 41 to 60% over about two weeks, kept the intensity, and left frequency roughly alone.
| Lever | What to do | Why |
|---|---|---|
| volume | cut 40-60% | this is where recovery comes from |
| intensity | keep it | dropping it loses sharpness |
| frequency | keep it, or cut slightly | rhythm matters |
| duration | 8-14 days | longer stops helping |
What it is not
It is not rest. A taper with no fast running leaves most people feeling flat on race day.
It is also not a fitness gain. You are not getting fitter. You are arriving able to use what you already built.
What moves it
- How much volume you cut. The main lever.
- How long you take. Two weeks suits most marathon plans.
- What you did before it. A bigger block needs a bigger taper.
When to ignore it
Ignore how you feel in the middle of it. Heavy legs and a high resting heart rate in taper week one are common and mean little.
Ignore the urge to add a session because you feel fresh. That is the taper working.
Sources
- Bosquet L et al. Effects of tapering on performance: a meta-analysis. Med Sci Sports Exerc 39(8):1358-1365, 2007 primary
- Mujika I, Padilla S. Scientific bases for precompetition tapering strategies. Med Sci Sports Exerc 35(7):1182-1187, 2003 primary
- Spilsbury KL et al. Tapering strategies in elite British endurance runners. Eur J Sport Sci 15(5):367-373, 2015 primary