By Guest Blog Author: Dr. Lauren LaPierre – Founder of The Personalized Running Doc
Run Coach, Physical Therapist & Runner Rehab Specialist
You’ve spent weeks building mileage, increasing your long runs, completing workouts, and preparing your body for 13.1 miles. As the Jamestown Rhode Races Half Marathon approaches, the goal of training changes. You’re no longer trying to build fitness. You’re trying to actualize the fitness you’ve already built.
A successful taper reduces accumulated fatigue while maintaining enough intensity to keep you feeling sharp. The hardest part? Trusting that doing less running right now can help you perform better on race day.
#1 Reduce Your Training Volume
Your final hard workout should occur approximately 10–14 days before race day, with your final true long run at least 7 days before the race. From there, gradually reduce your overall mileage and the length of individual runs. You can still include short bouts of race-pace running or strides, but the total amount of hard work should decrease.
This is not the time to squeeze in one more big workout to prove you’re ready. Research on endurance tapering supports reducing training volume while maintaining some intensity to decrease fatigue without sacrificing fitness!
#2 Pull Back on Strength Training
Your strength training needs to taper too.
During the final 10–14 days, begin reducing sets, reps, and overall load or resistance. During race week, strength should be minimal and focused on maintaining movement rather than creating a new training stimulus.
Avoid new exercises, lifting to failure, PR attempts, or anything likely to leave you sore.
The goal is to arrive at the starting line feeling strong, springy and healthy!
#3 Fuel the Fitness You Built
One of the biggest taper mistakes is eating less simply because you’re running less. But your body is actively recovering from weeks of training while trying to prepare its glycogen stores for race day. This is not the time for a calorie deficit.
During the final 24–48 hours, shift your meals toward more carbohydrates and less fat, fiber, and protein. That doesn’t mean eliminating those nutrients. Instead, you’re making more room for carbohydrates while reducing foods that can slow digestion or contribute to GI upset.
Think bagels, rice, pasta, cereal, bread, potatoes, pretzels, fruit, juice, and sports drinks.
And remember: carb loading isn’t one giant pasta dinner the night before. Spread your carbohydrate intake throughout the day. A proper carb load can increase your running performance by up to 6%! That is more than any super shoe on the market.
#4 Get Ahead of Hydration
If race day is warm or humid, hydration becomes even more important.
Start paying closer attention to fluids and electrolytes during the 48 hours leading into the race rather than trying to catch up on race morning.
Drink consistently throughout the day and include sodium/electrolytes based on your usual needs and sweat rate. If you already have a practiced pre-race hydration or hyperhydration strategy, use it.
What you don’t want is to suddenly chug huge amounts of plain water or experiment with a new hydration product the day before the race.
Hydration should be proactive like everything we do in training.
#5 Prioritize Sleep & Immune Health
Training stress doesn’t exist in isolation. Your body is also managing work, family, travel, sleep, and everyday life. Use the taper to prioritize 7–9 hours of sleep, adequate calories and carbohydrates, hydration, fruits and vegetables, and overall recovery.
If you already take a multivitamin, continue your normal routine. Some runners may also choose a standard-dose vitamin C or zinc supplement during this period as well to support their immune systems. Avoid assuming more is better: high-dose supplements are generally unnecessary and may contribute to GI distress. That said, supplements also shouldn’t replace the fundamentals of adequate energy intake, sleep, and recovery – that is why they are called supplements!
#6 Redirect the “Taper Crazies”
Runners often struggle with tapering because they’re focused on everything they’re suddenly doing less of.
Less mileage.
Shorter workouts.
Less lifting.
Instead, redirect that energy toward what you can do more of:
More sleep. More recovery. More carbohydrates. More intentional hydration. More time off your feet. More confidence in your months of training.
You don’t become significantly fitter in the final few days before a half marathon by adding more work. You give yourself the opportunity to perform by finally allowing your body to recover, adapt, and actualize the fitness you’ve spent months building!
The work is done.
Now trust it!
And remember to Keep Showing Up!
Lauren – The Personalized Running Doc
