Terrific Tapering for
Marathons and Ultras
by Dan Horvath
With my latest marathon fast approaching, it was time to start
planning my taper. OK, it was past time to start such planning, but
better late than never. My usual methodology is to look through my
training log to determine what kind of tapering I’d done in the
past. If I’m really ambitious, I’ll compare different tapering
techniques, along with the associated race results to try to figure
out what had seemed to work.
This
time would be different. Yes, I would still look back in my ‘ole
logs, but I also decided to do some actual research to see what the
experts say. In addition, I was curious about what I could find out
about tapering for ultras too. I’ve looked these sorts of things
up before, but it’s been quite a while, and there is some new
material out there nowadays.
It
turned out that there is a lot of new material and studies out
there. Several studies yield extremely useful and interesting
information. In addition, I was able to refer to several recent
running related books to glean even more information. It appears that
even an old dog like me can still learn a few tricks. If you’re
creating your training plan for your next marathon or ultra, or just
thinking about your next Big One, read on.
The First Commandment(s) of Tapering
I
have friends who, perhaps only half-jokingly, say that they’ve been
tapering for some number of years for the upcoming marathon or ultra.
To those folks, I have this to say: if you haven’t done the
training, the best taper in the world is not going to help
you. Yes, this ought to go without saying, but I’m probably as
guilty as anyone of thinking: “I’ve had a tip-top taper, and
therefore I should run a great marathon”. There’s just a bit more
to it.
Furthermore,
the tapering period is not the time to introduce anything new
to your training. There is general agreement that activities such as
weight-training, speedwork, massage and stretching should be
incorporated into almost any training schedule. If any of them
haven’t been used, however, the tapering period is definitely not
the time to start. This even applies to the massage and stretching.
Why Taper?
Tapering
is a reduction of training quality, quantity, or both for some period
immediately prior to an athletic event. The amount of reduction, and
the time period for that reduction vary greatly depending on the
event, the individual, and whom you ask.
For
the purposes of this discussion, the assumption will be that you will
want to optimize your marathon or ultra effort to the fullest extent.
Yes, getting there is and should be half the fun. If you don’t
actually enjoy your training (at least for the most part), then you
should strongly consider other activities. That said, training, for
most of us, is still not an end, but a means to an end. This is the
case no matter how much joy we derive from it. As important as it may
be to run well in practice, it’s imperative (or so it seems to us)
to do so for that Big Event. Most of us don’t want to leave our
best performances in the training world; we want them to occur during
our marathon or ultra.
Training
is a good thing. Each workout will generally increase your fitness to
some slight degree. The accumulative affect of months of these single
workouts will make you fit enough to participate in an endurance
event. But training is also hard. It takes a toll on your body such
that your ability to run hard on a given day is negatively impacted
by the affects of your recent workouts. The effects of fatigue on
performance are well documented. In order to run your best, you need
to maximize your fitness, and be fully rested. The way to do
accomplish this for a race is to train hard, and then taper.
Tapering
works. Numerous studies, including (Houmard et al., 1994), (Mujika,
1998) and (Shepley et al., 1992) have proven that endurance athletes
who tapered prior to an endurance event performed significantly
better than those who did not. In fact, the affect of tapering on
performance has been shown to be between 1 and 6 percent. A marathon
runner should expect the improvement to be between 3 and 5 percent
(Pfitzinger and Douglass, 2001). Four percent for a 3-hour marathoner
equates to an improvement of over 7 minutes. For a 4-hour marathoner,
the 4 percent improvement would be mean 10 minutes. Ultra runners can
also expect significant improvements, although there are fewer
studies that can be applied so directly. (Noakes, 1991) provides good
anecdotal information on tapering for ultras, showing that it worked
for certain individuals at the Comrades Marathon. There can be no
doubt that a good taper will do more for your race performance than
almost anything else you can think of during those last couple weeks
of training.
Thus
the reason to taper is straightforward: to give your body a rest so
that you are able to perform as close as possible to your potential
during the race. The only real question, then, is how, and how much?
How to Taper
If
tapering works so well, why not take it all the way? Why not stop
running completely for some period of time prior to a race? Houmard
and Shepley studied the effects of no training at all for one week
prior to an event. The results indicated that there was no
improvement as a result of such a drastic taper. In other words,
tapering completely (i.e. 100% reduction) is about the same as not
tapering at all. So some training is still necessary leading up to a
race.
How
long should a tapering period be? Most studies examine a taper period
of 7 to 14 days. It appears that many training experts and coaches
recommend 14 to 21 days for marathon and ultra tapers. The approach
appears to be such that generally, the longer the event, the longer
the taper. This applies to distances up to and including the
marathon. Although there is very little information in print about
this, my own feeling is that additional tapering for distances beyond
26.2 miles will not necessarily yield better results. In other words,
in terms of the length of the period and the percentage of reduction
of mileage, you should taper for an ultra about the same as you would
for a marathon.
The
way in which a tapering period is designed is referred to as a
tapering model. Different studies examined different tapering models.
The three basic models are:
- Step reduction: a drastic reduction of training volume (say, 50% of normal) at the onset of the tapering period, followed by the continuation of this volume for the entire taper period.
- Linear or Exponential reduction: the amount of reduction is gradually increased from the beginning to the end of the tapering period. For example, for a three week taper, the reduction in mileage may be 20% for the first week, 40% the second week, and 60% for the third. This reduction of an additional 20% each week is a linear reduction; exponential reduction may be more on the order of 10%, 40%, 80%, where the amount of reduction increases over time.
- A Combination of Step Reduction and Additional Linear or Exponential Reduction: this is an attempt to incorporate the features of the former two models. The runner may reduce mileage by about 40% at the start of the taper, then gradually reduce the volume even further over the tapering period. In this case, an example would be a 50% reduction for the second week and 60% for the third.
(Bannister,
et al. 1999) found that an exponential model worked better than a
step model. Other studies appear to favor the Combination model. Many
of the noted studies are of swimmers and triathletes. Most coaches
and other writers recommend an exponential or linear model for
distance runners.
How
hard should your taper training be? Many of the studies show that
while training volume should be decreased, training intensity should
not. The Shepley study in particular showed that a taper of
low-volume and high intensity was superior to one of moderate volume
and low intensity. So doing only easy jogging for two weeks prior to
your big event is not enough. Assuming that you’ve already been
doing some speedwork, you should continue doing it through the
tapering period, except for the last few days. This is not to say
that your two to three week taper should consist entirely of
speedwork. The best approach is to use the same percentage of
high-intensity running during the taper period as during the previous
training period. For example, say your pre-taper training consisted
of 6 one-mile intervals at 10K pace and a 4-mile tempo run at
half-marathon pace per week, out of 60 overall weekly miles. The 10
speedy miles make up 17% of total weekly miles. For a 2 week taper in
which you’re reducing mileage by 40% the first week and 60% the
second week, you may do 3 one-mile intervals and a 3-mile tempo run
the first week (6 speedy miles out of 36), and 2 one-mile intervals
and a 2-mile tempo run the second week (4 speedy miles out of 24).
You’ll be tempted to do more volume of speedwork, or to do it at a
faster pace than usual. Resist! Although it’s important to train
how you feel, and to design your training to fit your individual
needs, you need to keep your eyes on the prize.
Cross
training should also be reduced during your taper. Since the types of
cross training activities vary, the best approach is to once again,
follow the percentage rule as much as possible. Resistance training
in particular should be eliminated during the final week or two
(Bloch, 1993).
And
what about long runs? The percentage rule applies here as well. The
length of the weekly long run should, in general, be reduced by about
the same percentage as that for the weekly mileage. For example, say
your normal weekly long run is 20 miles, and your weekly mileage is
60 miles. Applying a reduction of 40% for the first week would
require a long run of about 12 miles with overall miles of 36 miles.
Applying a 60% reduction, we get a long run of 8 miles and overall
miles of 24. Once again, the percentage of long run miles with
respect to total miles remains constant.
What’s Worked for Me
Having
done the research about what’s supposed to work, I would now
examine my own data to determine what’s worked for me. I realized
right away that examining just the marathon and ultra tapers wouldn’t
tell the whole story here; there are too many other variables, not
the least of which is whether I had trained enough.
What
I could do, however, is study the characteristics of the
tapers for my best marathon efforts. (I’m leaving my ultras out of
the equation; I don’t feel that I’ve done enough of them well
enough to acquire adequate data.) So out of over 60 marathons, I
picked the five that I consider to be the most successful, and then
gathered information about the tapers.
I
examined the three-week taper period just prior to the events. In
order to calculate an average weekly mileage, I used the miles run
per week for the previous 9 weeks prior to the taper. For each of the
three weeks leading up to the marathon, I’ve listed my total miles
for that week, my long run at the start of that week, any tune-up
races done at the start of the week, and any speedwork done during
the week.
I
learned a few things about my tapering:
- I used to be a halfway decent runner.
- In terms of mileage, I tapered much less than many of the experts recommend. I never tapered at all for the 3rd week prior to the race. In fact, my mileage for that week was always higher than the average for the previous nine. It was, however, close to the weeks immediately prior to the taper. The 2nd and 1st weeks prior were on the order of 80% and 40% of my average training mileage.
- My long runs appear to be all over the map. Generally, I ran very long (more than 20 miles) three weeks before the race, then fairly long, but usually shorter, two weeks out, then shorter still (9 to 15 miles) the week before the race.
- For almost all of my successful marathons I’ve run a tune-up race during one or more of the previous weekends. It was usually a 5-Mile or 10K, but there were a few 10-Mile races. Don’t try that at home.
- There was a great deal of speedwork for each of the three weeks. Although I do recommend continuation of speedwork, I wouldn’t advise doing this much.
Would
I have run better if I had tapered more? What if I had run less for
that third week before the race – could I have knocked a minute off
my time? On the other hand, I have friends who taper even relatively
less than I. They appear to do just fine. Could I do as well by
tapering less?
It’s
simply impossible to say. The best I can do is to postulate that, for
these instances, the taper probably didn’t hurt me much. And that
may be the most any individual will ever be able to say, without
engaging in some extensive research involving many more runners.
At
the other end of the spectrum, there are the marathon efforts where
I’ve done more poorly than expected. For at least some of these
instances, I felt that I had been well trained, and then went on to
have a wonderful taper. So what went wrong? Perhaps it was something
else, such as the weather, lack of sleep, or the phase of the moon.
The
bottom line is that a good taper won’t guarantee you a good
marathon or ultra performance. A good taper may, in some instances,
prevent a stinker. Just don’t try a bad taper (that is, no taper at
all). The evidence shows that for most runners, this won’t work. In
any event, it’s not worth the risk.
Sidebar – Dan’s Taper Data for Five Successful Marathons
What You Should Do
Based
on the research, the writings of coaches and other experts, and (just
a bit) on my own data, I have compiled the following recommendations
and schedule. These are only guidelines; you should actually design
your own tapering schedule that will work for you.
With
3 weeks to go, you should run about 90 percent of your pre-taper
mileage and effort; with 2 weeks to go, do about 60 percent, and
during your final training week, you should only run about 40 percent
of your usual distance and effort. By “distance and effort” I
mean the total miles run during those tapering weeks, the long run
distance, the amount of speedwork, etc.
For
the three days immediately prior to your event, you should do very
little training. You want your muscles to be as well-rested as
possible. This is not to say that you should abstain from running
completely for the Thursday, Friday and Saturday prior to your Sunday
marathon or ultra. Even at this late date, you may want to loosen up
by running a few easy miles on perhaps two of the three days.
There
are several non-running considerations for those last few days as
well. Stretch. Get a massage. Load up on carbohydrates. Study the
course. Visualize your effort and eventual success.
Remember
that you’re an individual. I know I am, because my wife keeps
reminding me. What works for one person, or even a group of
people, may not work for you. As an experiment of one, you will
ultimately have to find out on your own how best to taper for you.
Use the information presented here as a starting point, and add your
own refinements.
Sidebar – A Schedule for Your Terrific Taper
The
data and ideas provided by the sources noted in the accompanying
article have been consolidated to create this taper schedule.
Although it’s applied to runners who average 75, 55 or 45 miles per
training week, think of this chart as a template that can be tailored
and applied to the tail end of any marathon or ultra training
schedule.
Following
the recommendations in the What You Should Do section, the schedule
uses a 10 percent reduction in mileage for the first week of the
taper (90% of original average weekly training mileage); 40 percent
reduction (60% of original) for the second week, and 60 percent
reduction (40% of original) for the final week before the race. The
percentages are each reductions of the original average weekly
mileage. The schedule also includes some speedwork, marathon pace
runs and two weekends with a tune-up race and/or tempo run. I do not
recommend doing two races; you should do a race one of the weekends
and a tempo run the other.
The
schedule makes the following assumptions:
- That you have followed some sort of training schedule prior to the tapering period. In other words, you’ve put in the miles, according to some plan, to get to this point.
- That you have tracked, and therefore have some idea of, your average weekly mileage. Use the average number of miles run per week for the previous 8 to 10 weeks of your marathon training. If you log your running by time instead of miles, you can convert the data by using your pace per mile.
- That your training has included at least some speedwork. If not, don’t start now; Simply run the stated distance at a brisk pace.
- That you’ve been doing some of your training at your anticipated marathon pace, and you have an idea what that pace should be. If not, consider examining your pace for your longest runs.
- That you do some shorter tune-up races, and that you’re not averse to doing one during the final three weeks. Don’t do any races longer than 10K; you won’t have time to entirely recover from anything longer. If you haven’t included any shorter races in your training, you should, once again, follow the “don’t try anything new” rule and not start now. If you decide to break the rule for this instance, don’t run the race all-out; just run comfortably fast.
Sidebar – References
Banister,
E. W., Carter, J. B., & Zarkadas, P. C. 1999. Training theory and
taper: Validation in triathlon athletes. European Journal of
Applied Physiology, 79, pp.182-191.
Benyo,
R. and Henderson, J. 2002. Running Encyclopedia. Human
Kinetics, Champaign, IL
Bloch,
G. B. 1993. How to Train for and Run Your Best Marathon.
Fireside, New York, NY
Daniels,
J. 1998. Daniels’ Running Formula. Human Kinetics,
Champaign, IL
Galloway,
J. 1984. Galloway’s Book of Running. Shelter Publications,
Bolinas, CA
Higdon,
H. 1997. How to Train. Rodale Press, Inc., Emmaus, PA
Houmard
J.A., Scott BK, Justice CL, Chenier TC. 1994, May. The effects of
taper on performance in distance runners. Med Sci Sports
Exerc;26(5):624-31.
Mujika,
I. 1998. The influence of training characteristics and tapering on
adaptation
in highly trained individuals: a review.
International Journal of
Sports
Medicine, v.19, pp.439-446
Mujika
I., Chatard, J. C., Busso, T., Geyssant, A., Barale, F., Lacoste, L.
1992, Feb. Physiological effects of tapering in highly trained
athletes. Journal of Applied Physiology;72(2):706-11.
Noakes,
T. 1991. Lore of Running. Leisure Press, Champaign, IL
Pfitzinger,
P. and Douglass, S. 2001. Advanced Marathoning. Human
Kinetics, Champaign, IL
Shepley,
B., MacDougall, J. D., Cipriano, N., Sutton, J. R., Tarnopolsky,
M.A., Coates G. 1992, Feb. Physiological effects of tapering in
highly trained athletes. Journal of Applied
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