How badly can you screw up a taper?

While jogging the state course with my team the day before states, we literally saw a rival team(predicted for 2nd) racing the course. We were jogging at about the mile mark and their coach was there shouting 5:09,5:10,5:11 as their team blew past us. Then, the coach shouted "mile 2! This is where you really have to dig!" Making us think they were running the whole 5k course. Since we were only running 1 lap on the course, we stopped at the finish line after running about 2 miles and not surprisingly, the team's athletes started to rush in through the chute as their coach was shouting 16:52,16:53,16:54. Nevertheless, the next day we got second and they finished a distant 8th.

Jose Canseco wrote:

While jogging the state course with my team the day before states, we literally saw a rival team(predicted for 2nd) racing the course. We were jogging at about the mile mark and their coach was there shouting 5:09,5:10,5:11 as their team blew past us. Then, the coach shouted "mile 2! This is where you really have to dig!" Making us think they were running the whole 5k course. Since we were only running 1 lap on the course, we stopped at the finish line after running about 2 miles and not surprisingly, the team's athletes started to rush in through the chute as their coach was shouting 16:52,16:53,16:54. Nevertheless, the next day we got second and they finished a distant 8th.

I can understand 4x8 a couple of days before or jogging around for a week not working but are High School coaches really that dumb?

Here are some interesting comments from Greg McMillan's book 'You, Only Faster'. He endorses peaking instead of just tapering, and some tips on how to achieve it.

TheFine Art of Peaking

Now that we have your full plan complete and you have all your tune-up races inserted, let’s talk about how to get ready for not just a good race but a great race. This involves what is called Peaking or Tapering. Peaking is the strategy where an athlete adjusts his training over the last 1-3 weeks

before his goal race so that his body “super-compensates” or adapts to all the training that has been done and is ready for a peak performance.

Over the last few years, I think I've finally figured this peaking thing out. It took a while because, like many coaches, I fell into the standard "tapering" model we've all been taught. Problem was, tapering (i.e., a large reduction in training volume over the last 2-3 weeks before your key race accompanied by an increase in intensity) didn't work consistently. The results were just as hit-or-miss as not tapering at all.

So, I threw "tapering" out of my vocabulary. I replaced it with "peaking." Semantics? Maybe. But by studying peak performance research - both physiological as well as psychological - as opposed to just the tapering research, I've been able to dial in how to truly peak on race day. It works for all athletes no matter where you find yourself in the pack come race day.

Here are my secrets for your peaking phase -- the last 14 days before your race:

Secret #1: Don't change your weekly running routine. Our bodies and minds like routine. If you run four days per week, then run four days per week during your peaking phase. If you run six, then run six. You'll feel flat if you suddenly run less frequently than normal. Exception: Runners who are nursing a sore muscle or niggling injury may take an extra day

off each week during the peaking phase. But, don't take it the day before the last long run or the race if you don't normally rest the day before your long runs. You’ll risk feeling flat on race morning.

Secret #2: Reduce weekly training volume, but not too much. Over the last 10-14 days before your race, you should progressively reduce the volume of your running. (You see this in the training plans from Step #1 in this book). Two weeks out from the race, I like to reduce the daily volume by 10-20 minutes or so. The week of the race, reduce approximately 20-30 minutes. This, along with the normal reduction in your long run length as the race nears, will drop your overall running volume in line with what we know from research (and, more importantly, from practical experience) to the level that allows the body to get prepared for a peak performance.

Don't make the common mistake of dropping your volume too much. This takes your body out of its routine and can leave you stale on race day. My opinion is that more runners fail because of tapering too much rather than not enough.

Secret #3: Keep the engine revved. While we may want to reduce the volume of running, we do not want to reduce the intensity of our

workouts. In fact, we may want the intensity to increase. You want to keep your engine revved, the pumps primed. Never race your workouts, but during the peaking phase, don't back off in them either. I've found that some fast running in the peaking phase helps bring the body and the mind to tiptop condition on race day.

Secret #4: Plan your strategy and stick with it

Most distance runners have the same race strategy -- start conservative, build into race pace, run as efficiently as possible and get as deep in the race as possible before you have to pull out your superman or superwoman powers to get you to the finish line. Yours may vary, depending on your

strength and preferences. No matter what your strategy, however, stick with it. For most runners, their pre-race strategy is the best strategy. Be open to change if the conditions change, but for the most part, you know what you need to do so just get out of your own way and let the race unfold as planned.

Secret #5: Reflect on training to build confidence. I like athletes to reflect on training in two ways. First, think back to a particularly tough workout,

something where you didn't feel great but you gutted it out. You were tough. This shows that you can do it. You ARE tough. You can handle the ups and downs of running and get to the finish line. After this retrospection, think back to your best workouts or races. Really re-live them in your mind.

Bolster your confidence knowing that you are fit, fast and ready. Bring on the race! Get excited to go out there and perform like you know you can! Your training successes should build your confidence.

Secret #6: Have fun and smile

Let's face it. Most of us aren't going for an Olympic gold medal here. We are simply enjoying the challenge of doing our best. There is no real pressure, so quit putting so much on yourself. (I even have to remind the Olympic-level runners I coach of this.) We run for fun, and you should remember that. Have fun! I encourage runners to smile a lot in the final days before a race. Smiling puts you in a better mood, and that can play a big role on race day. It's only through having a positive, happy mindset focused on doing your best, combined with a welltrained body that is rested but revved and fueled and hydrated that helps you race at your best.

The key to a proper peak race is recovery at the right point. We need the recovery in order to race well, but recovery makes athletes who train hard and with a high volume feel terrible. We can't both train and recover concurrently. So take a rest break 10-12 days prior to the big race. Take a couple of days off, then do a short, quick workout like some 200s, then take another day off. You should feel terrible at this point, which is about a week prior to the big race: that's your body recovering. From this point, go up to 80% of normal mileage, which is how distance runners generally feel best--running mileage. As others have said, continue with the intensity. And if you don't believe me, look up Inigo mujica. I'd also recommend doing stuff that primes CNS like box jumps, short sprints, light cleans.

I suggest getting Inigo Mujika's book "Peaking and Tapering". You can find some excerpts online and might be able to find some videos of his presentations or at least part of them.

Personally, I have had some good experiences with two combinations that are a little unorthodox.

1. Take a day off two or three days before the race, after having been in full training up to that day off. After the day off, run 5-6 miles, then do 4x200 at roughly 3k pace.

2. Take 3 or so days off two weeks before a race, having been in full training up to that point. Then run two weeks at 90% of training volume, take one easy day and then race.

Both these methods fall in line with the rest theory, but allowed some getting back into groove right before the race.

Method 1 gets you into the groove in part because of the longer strides, which affect muscle tension.

Method 2 simply gets you back into the groove for a sustained period of time.

Every single time I have tried method 1, I have PRed (5 occasions). I have only done method 2 once but it worked that time.

I've even had method 1 work while having had subpar workouts for months leading into the race. But my volume was high.

Tensiometer wrote:

Iowakidscanrun wrote:

This previous post is complete garbage. Do not believe a word of it. As others have said, you taper off of hard training not off low mileage moderate intensity.. Hard workouts are still important, but recovery is key.

Because they are good for muscle tension.

Read the peer reviewed literature related to training, over-training, tapering, and the psychology of peak performance and you will not make a kindergarten statement that muscle tension is the key to a successful taper. The sad part is people read this crap you post and some will actually believe it.

This is a solid overview and based on some real science blended with real world experience. I knew Greg back in the 90's. Some of the science behind his recommendations did not come out of some textbook but was data we actually collected in the lab.

Just a fan wrote:

Jose Canseco wrote:

While jogging the state course with my team the day before states, we literally saw a rival team(predicted for 2nd) racing the course. We were jogging at about the mile mark and their coach was there shouting 5:09,5:10,5:11 as their team blew past us. Then, the coach shouted "mile 2! This is where you really have to dig!" Making us think they were running the whole 5k course. Since we were only running 1 lap on the course, we stopped at the finish line after running about 2 miles and not surprisingly, the team's athletes started to rush in through the chute as their coach was shouting 16:52,16:53,16:54. Nevertheless, the next day we got second and they finished a distant 8th.

I can understand 4x8 a couple of days before or jogging around for a week not working but are High School coaches really that dumb?

....evidently the coach thought a time trial the day before the state meet would be needed to optimize muscle tension.

If you actually read the links, he says muscle tension isn't the only key. It is part of it though.

I get the whole hypercompensation/rest/psychology thing as well, as does Magness, who covers those points in the link.

Feeling "bouncy" on race day is important though as a psychological function.

And someone earlier said that marathon performance can't be related to muscle tension, which is again covered in the actual links if you take the time to read them.

Greg McMillan spews his knowledge like a snake oil salesman. He had several elite runners consistently underperform until the group blew up in his face. He was EXPOSED. Today he is irrelevant.

totally irrelevant wrote: Greg McMillan spews his knowledge like a snake oil salesman. He had several elite runners consistently underperform until the group blew up in his face. He was EXPOSED. Today he is irrelevant.

"The bulk of his athletes are everyday runners balancing work, family and other commitments with their running." -from his website.

Shit, maybe he likes helping guys like you do a PR in your local Turkey Trot more than the prima donna posturing of your beloved 'elites'.

If you read the sprint literature, it's widely used. Charlie Francies talked about the concept, so does Dan Pfaff.

In the endurance world, Magness and former world class runner Marius Bakken are the proponents.

So how badly can you screw it up?

I would buy you can screw it up bad enough to go from probably winning to definitely not.

What seems to be a more interesting question is, how right can you get it, and how?

It's mostly about perfecting supercompensation and how to do that is very individual, and yet not at all.

Generally keeping your routine the same, reduce your volume 2 weeks out by not too much, keep intensity but shorten the time, eat the same foods, rest as much as possible, no unnecessary risks, stay hydrated.

For younger athletes it's important to remember you're not gaining any fitness here, but sure can lose it.

zpaincakes wrote:

Generally keeping your routine the same, reduce your volume 2 weeks out by not too much, keep intensity but shorten the time, eat the same foods, rest as much as possible, no unnecessary risks, stay hydrated.

For younger athletes it's important to remember you're not gaining any fitness here, but sure can lose it.

true words. but meanwhile i don´t care much about my taper. i have flopped too often after i stopped my hard runs. i favorite one or two rest days 5 or 7 days prior important race days, but then i keep up the routine again until the last day. this last day with less volume. my mileage isn´t big enough to justify a long taper and i like running too much. if i stop my routine spaghetti legs will appear immediately.