Why is Tapering Important in Running?
Running is the same as any other sport. Nobody would expect to go to the gym once, lift heavy weights, and wake up the next morning musclebound. What actually happens is you go to the gym, consistently, you eat well, sleep well, and muscles grow. The body actually does most of its rebuilding during the sleep cycle. This process is called adaptation, it is the reason why we train.
In running, it is the same idea. Over the course of your training cycle, your body will be breaking down muscle fibres. When you eat well, and rest, your body will rebuild these fibres a little bit stronger than they were before. They adapt to the strain you have put them under.
Many runners misunderstand how the process works. There is a wide population who think every run needs to be a hard run. If it’s not hard it won’t help. This is not the case. When working with a coach, there will be a variety of different sessions planned at different paces.
What is Tapering?
Tapering is a period of time where there will be fewer miles run, and of lower intensity. This is towards the end of a training block when the body has been pushed hard. It will need to recover and adapt to these hard workouts. For marathoners on a 10 day taper it will be in the final two weeks of a 16 week cycle. Whereas athletes may have run upwards of 60-80 mile weeks, this last 10 days may only have 20-30. There will likely be a short tempo session in that period, but nothing long or overly challenging. The closer to race day, the less benefit the body will get from a tough run.
Why Taper?
The tapering process is your body’s chance to get into full recovery mode and peak at just the right time. That is the key word. You will only peak once during the cycle. The idea is to hit that point on the target race day.
This is part of the reason I don’t like my athletes to race too much during a training cycle. Sure, it’s OK to race, sometimes. If the time is right and the goal is to move forward towards the target race peak. If it happens to be a personal record, great, but that should only act as a guide for the athlete. It may mean training hasn’t been near hard enough.
If it isn’t a great race, so be it. It probably shouldn’t be. The athlete’s body should be tired mid-cycle. And that is why tapering is important in road racing.
Different Tapering Requirements
For marathoners, a taper can be anywhere between 3-weeks to 10-days. It will depend on the level of the athlete, the race goals, and individual circumstances.
When it comes to targeting a 5k race, there should still be a good 10-day taper. There may be more miles run during the 5k taper than say a marathon. However, they should be more easy, or steady miles.
For all target race distances, my advice is to always have at least a minimum of a 10-day taper. This doesn’t mean that a runner can’t run a 5k PR on Sunday and run a better time the next Sunday. It just means if you are focussed on a specific race, give yourself the best chance to nail it.
