Thanks for the reply...I was kind of thinking the same thing. Here is one article I found that is related...
+ + + Tapering
Thirty years ago, marathoners used the last two weeks of training for final preparation. Allison described a week of long runs two weeks from the race — with the last 17–20 miler 10 days out — followed by a week of "sharpening" with a Monday speed session and a Wednesday 10–13 miler.
In the ensuing years, most programs recommended more rest and considerably more time — up to three weeks — between the last long run and the marathon. The most thorough tapering plan we have presented was spelled out by Pfitzinger in 1994. The essentials are summarized in the "Three Week Marathon Taper" box and should complement any marathon program.
While working on this article, I talked with Brad Hudson about his marathon training philosophies and discovered that he believes people reduce their mileage too much and do too much fast, high-intensity work during the taper, confusing their metabolic systems. Instead of a traditional taper more suited to races 10K or shorter, he proposes an entirely different marathon taper that keeps much of the volume but reduces the intensity during the final weeks. That, however, is a an article for the future, as we start the next decade of Running Times. I’m happy to know there is still more to learn and apply.
http://runningtimes.com/rt/articles/print.asp?id=9906