How to keep calm during your taper

Tapering is an essential part of preparation for marathons, and whilst it’s physically the easiest part, it can be the most mentally challenging period of training for a lot of people. Here I’ll share some thoughts that might cross your mind and how you can re-frame them or respond.

 

Fearing you won’t be fast enough

If you’ve got a time target and lack the confidence in your ability to do it, that’s understandable. A marathon is likely to be your biggest (or one of the biggest) races you’ll do in any given year, so nerves are natural. Pushing for a time should be a bit scary as it means you’ll need to work hard which is the point of racing and setting time targets in the first place. There would be little point setting yourself a sub 4:30 target for instance, if you knew you could potentially run sub 4 hours.

Look back at your training diary and if it went well, know that you’ve done what you can heading into the taper. It’s essential that you rest rather than trying to make up for any perceived “lost ground”.

 

“I’m losing fitness”

Studies have shown that most runners can reduce their training volume and still maintain fitness for 6-8 weeks with the right types of sessions. Your 2-3 week taper is no different, and the additional race-day benefits of the recovery mean you’ll perform better than if you hadn’t reduced the number of miles you were running. 

 

Too much taper

As mentioned above, 2-3 weeks of active recovery, finishing at around 40% of your usual training amount by the final week is shown to be optimal. Generally you want to keep the intensity you’d usually train at, just do fewer miles per session/week. Both the time period of 2-3 weeks and the reduction in training will only be a positive for you.

 

“I feel slow”

Lots of easy miles can leave you feeling like you’ve forgotten how to run faster, and that in turn can really knock your confidence. Try some short but faster intervals within your taper to keep the faith in your ability to run significantly faster than marathon pace. Get it right and you’ll not fatigue yourself, feel refreshed and energised, brimming with confidence.

 

Struggling to slow down

If you’re someone who tends to run hard no matter the session plan, the taper is a great time to catch up with friends, especially ones you perhaps haven’t trained with for a while who run slower than you. Let them know you’d love a nice easy run and a natter and give them permission to boss you around so you don’t get carried away.

 

Shift your attention

If you’re someone who overthinks things when you’re nervous or who just likes to be in control of things, direct your attention to what’s useful for you right now. Organise the finer details of race-day fueling, what you’ll have the day before the race, what time you need to leave etc. It can seem obsessive, but it’s better to do this than try to fight your nature in my opinion which only causes unnecessary stress since you need to figure these things out eventually anyway. Dialing in these tactical points can also boost confidence as you know you’re optimising your chances of reaching your time target.

 

I try to use nearly all of these tips as well as sticking to a 2-week taper so I head into race day feeling on top form. I’m a massive over-planner in particular and have the race day nutrition planned to the most minute detail a couple of weeks before race day. Exception to the rule yes, but effective for me as an individual so it’s the right call. 

Give these a shot as you prepare for your next marathon and with any luck your marathon jitters will melt away… at least a little bit.

 

Written by Kyle Brooks, Running Coach based in Norwich, Norfolk