How to Peak for Race Day

The taper is one of the most mismanaged parts of marathon preparation. After months of hard training, the idea of running less feels counterintuitive - and many athletes sabotage their race by not cutting back enough, or by trying to cram in extra sessions during the final week.

What happens during the taper

When you reduce training load, your body consolidates all the adaptation from the preceding months. Glycogen stores top up, muscle damage repairs, fatigue clears, and neuromuscular function sharpens. It takes about 10 to 14 days for these processes to fully complete, which is why most marathon tapers are three weeks long.

How to structure it

The general rule is to reduce volume by around 20-30% each week of the taper while keeping some intensity. Cutting volume but maintaining the quality sessions (shorter tempo runs, strides) keeps your legs sharp and prevents the flat, sluggish feeling that comes from reducing everything.

• Week 3 out: reduce long run by 25-30%, keep midweek quality
• Week 2 out: reduce total volume to 60% of peak week
• Race week: minimal running, short strides, prioritise sleep and nutrition

The taper blues are real

Almost everyone feels worse during the taper - heavier legs, low energy, niggling aches that weren't there before. This is normal. It doesn't mean you're getting sick or losing fitness. Your body is processing the accumulated training load. Trust the process.

Race week priorities

Sleep is the most important variable in the final week. Aim for eight or nine hours every night. Carbohydrate loading in the 48 hours before the race matters, but don't do anything wildly different from what you've practised in training. Familiar food, familiar routine.

You cannot improve your fitness in the final two weeks. You can only recover, rest, and arrive ready. Let yourself do that.