how many days prior to race to do the last workout?

Well, it takes 10-14 days to see the physiological affects of training so everything inside 10 days is for your head, not your legs.

reference?

or

pseudoscience?

i've heard 10 days from multiple people/coaches over the years.

Keith Stone wrote:

Well, it takes 10-14 days to see the physiological affects of training so everything inside 10 days is for your head, not your legs.

That's not entirely true. Try taking the previous 10 days completely off and see what happens. Obviously your VO2 max etc. is not going to see big gains in the last 10 days, but there is a reason why people do sharpening.

muscular tension...

Taper properly during the final week week by trimming mileage by 65 to 70 per cent. Focus on short, fast, but non-soreness-inducing sessions (repeat 400s at 10-K pace). To run a great half-marathon on Sunday at the end of this taper week, complete six 10-K paced 400s on Monday, do a three-mile PHMP effort on Wednesday, and run three 400s on Friday. Everything else should be small and easy! If your half-marathon is on Saturday, back everything up a day (the 400s on Sunday, PHMP on Tuesday, etc.).

http://www.pponline.co.uk/encyc/0092.htm

http://www.pponline.co.uk/encyc/0267b.htm

You can train your neuromusclar system in mere hours. That being said, anything you do in the last 10-14 days of a key race should revolve around race pace. I'd say if your race is on Saturday do a 4 mile tempo at race pace on Tuesday. That's it.

Alan

Last hard workout should be no closer than 10 days out. This is NOT the last workout, just the last hard one. You can still maintain a hard easy hard easy routine up till race day, except the hard days are just half ass workouts to get your legs moving and HR up, but nothing intense. If you look up tapers you'll probably find a study that suggests something like 5 days of intervals leading up to the race done at race pace or faster but very little total volume. Throw that shit out the window. I tried it once and it didn't ruin my race, but I felt like I would have been better off with a more traditional taper. Maybe I did something wrong though...

blah wrote:

reference?

or

pseudoscience?

Noakes, Glover, Martin, Coe, coaches, etc. Not like it's a "secret". Read about any non-cookbook style training book that talks about the science of periodiation, specifically tapering.

somehomodude wrote:

That's not entirely true. Try taking the previous 10 days completely off and see what happens. Obviously your VO2 max etc. is not going to see big gains in the last 10 days, but there is a reason why people do sharpening.

I didn't say take the last 10-14 days off. He was asking about when the last hard workout is and "sharpening" isn't hard workouts. Assuming the OP was talking about a goal race (you wouldn't full taper for every race) you going to take that 10-14 day threshhold and shift from building to consolidating your gains. The easiest to digest description of this is in Glover's Competitive Runner's Handbook.

Runningart2004 wrote:

You can train your neuromusclar system in mere hours. That being said, anything you do in the last 10-14 days of a key race should revolve around race pace. I'd say if your race is on Saturday do a 4 mile tempo at race pace on Tuesday. That's it.

Alan

A creating a neuromuscular response (often called "muscle memory") really isn't strengthening. People can have amazing neuromuscular capabilities (i.e. video gamers) and be in poor physical condition.

That's exactly the reason you want to shift to race pace type training inside that 10-14 day window. You're out of time to build strength and endurance, but training for pace and quickness can continue.

I would also like to point out this isn't my GOAL race, just the next most important race leading to my goal race, a marathon in 6 weeks. So just looking to run a PR, but not really tapering, although cutting back my weekly average of 90-100 miles, to an easy 80 mile week. I do have plenty of running experience and not always into all the scientific approaches, just interested in what other top runners do, not whats in various books on running. I have Galloway, Daniels, etc. My workout is going to be 8x 1000 and 4x 400. I really want to run a great race so just trying to get a feel on what day is best: Tuesday, Wednesday, or doesn't matter? I race on Sunday.

bump

Taper intensity, not volume...

IMO, you can keep at least 80-90% of your mileage and still have a VERY effective taper. It's easing off the hard workouts that will result in fresh legs and a good performance. 10days for last hard workout (say Vo2max reps), and an LT workout 3-4 days before the race. Other than that, easy runs and strides.

I don't think cutting mileage by say 50% will do much for your taper (I don't think it will harm the taper), but it is all lost aerobic training for races later in the season...

My most important race of the season is on Saturday, Nov 1st. I did a hard long run yesterday on Friday. I did 9 miles at a really good pace. I didn't kill myself, but was definitely the fastest 9 mile training run I have done. Today, I did an easy 4 miler with some strides. This hard long run was 8 days before my biggest race. Will I reap any of the benefits of this run? I know you need 10 days to reap the benefits, but this was 8. So I do not know if I will reap the benefits? If anybody knows the answer, I would appreciate a reply

Myles wrote:

Taper intensity, not volume...

IMO, you can keep at least 80-90% of your mileage and still have a VERY effective taper. It's easing off the hard workouts that will result in fresh legs and a good performance. 10days for last hard workout (say Vo2max reps), and an LT workout 3-4 days before the race. Other than that, easy runs and strides.

I don't think cutting mileage by say 50% will do much for your taper (I don't think it will harm the taper), but it is all lost aerobic training for races later in the season...

Part of this is right: 80% the week of the race is right on, as long as you've done a solid taper the week before.

Read Inigo mujica. Most of the stuff on this thread is absolute crap, stuff that people do because it's what they've always done. Mujica's work can change the way you taper. You'll have a much more predictable response and much better results.