The taper is a very important part of an athlete’s training program. Some people look forward to the taper yet others find themselves going crazy when taper time arrives. It is not uncommon to be irritable or feel sluggish during your taper phase. Everyone reacts just a little differently. There are definitely some tried and true strategies in regards to tapering for your big event.
Why you should taper: During training, you are putting your body and muscles through continued stress and increased training volume. It is important to give your muscles a chance to rest and repair themselves in order to arrive to the starting line fresh. As you taper, glycogen stores will increase which is important because glycogen is one of the primary fuel sources for endurance athletes.
How you should taper: Tapering doesn’t mean cutting out exercise altogether. In fact, the frequency of your workouts should remain rather consistent. Training volume should decrease as well as adding some intervals at race-pace intensity. When adding the intensity, you should also add in additional rest.
How much you should taper: The longer your race, the longer your taper should be. The general rule of thumb to follow is to drop your training volume about 20-25 percent per week. There are some variables to consider such as injury, level of the athlete, experience of the athlete and overall season goals.
When should you taper: While the taper can be just a little different for everyone, you can download some basic guidelines here. Tapering Guidelines
If you are looking for help with your training or just have some questions to ask, feel free to contact me.
Train Right, Tri Right!
Coach MJ
