What is a Taper, and 6 Tips to Do It Correctly

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If you are training for a big endurance event, or hang around other athletes who are constantly training for something, you’ve likely heard the term “taper” Often it is referred to as a “taper week”. But what exactly is a taper? And how do you taper correctly? The how, why, and when of the training taper is key to executing that big run, hike, or ride. Let’s take a look at exactly what a taper is, why you need a taper, and 6 tips to tapering correctly.

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Table of Contents

WHAT is a Taper?

A taper is a period of reduced training VOLUME before a big race, hike, event, or competition. A taper helps you recover and prepare for your event.

A taper helps you recover by:

Reducing muscle fatigue and wear and tear from months of intense training
Replenishing fuel stores levels like glycogen and carbohydrates
Re-energizing your body before the big day
Overall improving performance

A lot of times, you will see a taper as the final one, two, or three weeks of a training plan. This can vary depending on the event. For example:

A taper for a full marathon might be 2 – 3 weeks before
A taper for a half marathon might be 1 – 2 weeks before
A taper for a 20 mile hike might be 1 – 2 weeks before
A taper for a century ride might be 1 – 2 weeks before

6 Tips for HOW to Taper Correctly

A taper week or taper period doesn’t mean sitting around doing nothing. A taper is largely about rest, but there’s also some active maintenance going on. When you are doing something active, you still want to maintain your goal intensity (just no more). Here’s what you should be doing during your taper period:

#1: REDUCING your mileage VOLUME: consider reducing your weekly mileage volume by about 30% from your highest volume week. Your taper should start after your final longest training run or hike.

#2: MAINTAINING your INTENSITY: if you’re training for a big race, you should still go on a short run during your taper week. If you are training for a big hike, you can still go on a short hike. The key is to simply maintain your intensity level, not push it further or harder. Nothing more than a Or in other words, keep your intensity level equal to that of your goal pace and no more.

#3: REDUCING the AMOUNT and INTENSITY of cross training or other exercise you are doing in conjunction. Again, that doesn’t mean you have to do nothing, but instead of a 30 minute HIIT class, consider a 30 minute yoga session. Instead of a run, consider a brief, moderate, low impact bike ride. Whatever cross training you do during your taper, keep the intensity no more than moderate, and do not increase the times.

#4: ADD in extra REST and RECOVERY time: if you normally have 2 rest days a week, make it 3 during your taper week. Continue active recovery, and make sure to pay close attention to it and don’t neglect it. Continue to stretch and foam roll. Get extra rest at night by ensuring 7 or 8 hours of solid sleep.

#5: Pay close attention to NUTRITION and HYDRATION. Increase your protein levels, which can help with muscle repair. Increase your complex carb intake to help replenish those levels as well. Consider not drinking alcohol and possibly back off caffeine. Drink plenty of liquids consistently. Take extra good care of your body.

#6: Stay OFF your FEET when you can, and when you are on them, take care of them. Wear comfortable and supportive shoes!

WHY You Should Taper

Some athletes find it hard to take a rest day during training, because they feel like they are “missing out” on another opportunity to train. So the idea of a full taper week or two, or even three, can be agonizing!

But the taper week is actually extremely crucial to any training plan and should not be ignored, skipped, or minimized. It allows your body to recover and re-energize, which will come into major play during that big race, competition, or endurance event.

After months of training and putting on miles, it’s completely natural that your muscles are going to feel some wear and tear. A taper week allows your body to repair any muscle and tissue damage, thus making you stronger!

Your carb stores will also be depleted from these months of intense training, so a taper allows you to replenish those carb levels right before it matters the most. In addition to carbs, the taper restores antioxidants, hormones, and metabolic enzymes as well. A taper essentially provides you with more energy to rely on during the big day.

Another reason to taper is that at this point in your training plan, further training won’t provide much benefit. Once you’ve built up your fitness and stamina to a certain level, there’s not a huge amount more you can do to enhance those levels in just another week or two. What you can do, though, is deplete energy, prevent recovery, or possibly injure yourself unnecessarily – all from not following a taper period. And if you are worried about your stamina and fitness levels declining by easing off, it won’t happen that quickly!

The taper helps you prevent the fatigue that is so common at the end of an intense training period. This is where the term “burnout” comes from. Not only does the taper replenish physical strength, but also mental strength as well. Because burnout can plague both the mind and the body.

Finally, studies have proven that tapering correctly can enhance performance considerably. For a marathon race, that might look like shaving off a few minutes and a new personal best. Studies have also shown that continuing to train hard at the same levels right up until the big day can destroy your performance on that big race or hike.

Important Note about Tapering

The higher volume and distances you’ve been covering in your training, the longer your taper may be. For example, if you are training for a 13 mile half marathon, your running volume and distances are going to be shorter during training than if you are training for a 26 mile full marathon. In this case, a half marathon training plan might have you taper for a week or two, while a higher volume and distance marathon training plan may have you taper for 2 – 3 weeks.

Tapering amounts can also vary by endurance event and take into account different levels of intensity. For example, the taper for marathon training might look different than the taper for a Rim to Rim hike in the Grand Canyon. You should absolutely taper for both though. If you want 1:1 support with developing a personalized training calendar that includes a taper period, you can check out the current coaching services I offer here.

And be sure to check out the training resources below, which include some training plans and FREE training calendars!

Recommended Training Resources:

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What is a Taper, and 6 Tips to Do It Correctly