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Marathon training is a long haul. Depending on where you're starting from, the whole build can run anywhere from six months to a year.
The shortest piece of that stretch is the taper, which usually lasts two to three weeks. You probably won't gain much fitness in this window, but getting the taper wrong can undo months of work.
Here's what we'll cover: what a taper actually is, how to train in the final weeks, what belongs in race week, and what to leave out.
The short version
- A taper means cutting your training back over the final two to three weeks so you reach the start line fresh. It won't add fitness, but done right it can shave roughly 5 to 10 minutes off your marathon.
- Your longest run, about 20 miles (32 km), comes around three weeks out, and you run it easy rather than at race pace. After that, mileage steps down each week.
- During race week, drop your volume to about a third to a half of normal. Keep the runs short and easy with one short, sharper session, and don't try anything new in your training, food, or gear.
- Eat simple and light through the final week, then carb-load in the last day or two.
What a taper is, and why it matters
The taper is a big part of the training process. Basically, it's how you wrap up your marathon build, and it comes down to easing off both the volume and the intensity of your running.
Tapering isn't just something coaches made up. There's real physiology behind it, and once you ease off the training load, a few things start to happen:
- Your body restores glycogen, enzymes, and hormones (Mujika & Padilla, 2003).
- Tissue and muscle damage from training gets repaired.
- Your immune system may get a lift, which can lower your odds of catching a cold right before the race.
On top of that, competitive athletes who eased off their training load during the taper improved their performance by about 3% on average (Bosquet et al., 2007). That might sound tiny, but depending on your finishing time it can mean roughly 5 to 10 minutes off your marathon.
There's also something that never shows up on the clock, and that's the overall physical and mental state you bring to the start line. That state probably has a lot to do with the memories you'll walk away with, so it's worth setting yourself up for it.
When to start tapering
The taper usually kicks in about three weeks out, with the most active part starting the week before the race. The exact mix of workouts will depend on your weekly mileage and the plan you're following.
Three weeks out: your longest run
The long run peaks about three weeks out and then the taper takes over. Think of it as a dress rehearsal for race day: a chance to practice your fueling, your shoes, and the feel of a long effort, all while building one last hit of confidence.
How far you go mostly comes down to experience:
- For most runners, the peak long run tops out around 20 miles (32 km). Coaches like Hal Higdon and Pete Pfitzinger build to roughly 20 to 22 miles (32–35 km) at this stage.
- First-timers usually build toward about 18 to 20 miles (29–32 km) as well. Higdon's beginner plan, one of the most-used in the US, peaks at 20 miles before the taper. (Not everyone agrees on the magic number, though. The Hansons method, for example, caps the long run at 16 miles and leans on cumulative fatigue instead.)
If your goal race is hilly, it's worth working some hills into this run. If the course is flat, you can stick to flat terrain.
Weather matters too. If it's hot the day of your long run, try to get out early. Otherwise, you might trim it by a few miles or push it to the evening.
You don't need to run this whole thing at goal marathon pace. As a rule, the long run sits about 30 to 90 seconds per mile slower than race pace. If you want some race-pace practice, the usual move is to drop a few miles at marathon pace into the middle or back end of the run instead of running it fast start to finish.
So, if you're targeting, say, 9:00 to 10:00 min/mile (about 5:35–6:13 min/km), most of this run should sit comfortably slower, with maybe a marathon-pace segment mixed in.
You'll want to come in fairly fresh, so keep the days before it easy. Easy runs follow it too, with about 2 to 4 days of recovery depending on your age and fitness, which gives your body time to absorb the effort.
The final two weeks: holding your speed
The week after that long run, on Wednesday or Thursday, you can fit in some short interval work. The other two weeks are mostly about holding onto your speed.
The week after your peak long run, which is two weeks out, the weekend run usually drops to somewhere around 12 to 16 miles (19–26 km). Again, it depends on the runner, and for some people it'll be shorter.
Two and three weeks out, you'll still do some strength work. The thighs, calves, glutes, back, core, and feet all still need attention, so keep those exercises in the rotation.
Interval work over these two weeks might look like this:
- 5–6 x 1000 meters
- Hill repeats: 6 to 8 x 200 to 400 meters, with longer 600 to 800 meter hills an option for experienced runners
- "Ladder" runs: 3 x 1 minute, 3 x 2–3 minutes, then 3 x 1 minute again, with 1 minute of rest, at roughly lactate threshold (a good option for newer marathoners)
About 10 to 12 days out, you can mix in tempo runs of 3 to 6 miles (5–10 km) at lactate threshold. This kind of running builds a specific sort of endurance, namely the ability to hold a set pace for a long stretch.
Roughly a week out, you'll do your last moderately long run, usually around 90 minutes (somewhere near 10 to 13 miles). After that, race week stays short and easy.
Race week: how to train
Getting the final week right really matters. If you slip up here or ignore the logic of the taper, you can potentially throw away all the work you've put in.
There's no single recipe for the perfect race-week routine, but there are a few guidelines worth following.
The final week is when your body rests up and recharges. Ideally you'll be so well-rested that by race day you're itching to go, thinking, "Just let me run already." That itch should show up in the back half of the week.
At the same time, you want to be rested without going flat, so a little edge helps. The trick is finding the balance between full rest and overtraining, and you get there by cutting mileage while keeping a touch of intensity.
How much to cut
The whole idea of race week is to bring your mileage way down. Even if you'd been running 31 to 37 miles (50–60 km), which is a healthy load, that comes down too.
Aim to cut the final week to somewhere between a third and a half of the week before. So, if you'd been averaging around 37 miles (60 km), you'd roughly halve it, which puts race week near 15 to 19 miles (25–30 km). And the higher your mileage, the more you cut.
Everything gets noticeably easier than the weeks before. The plan is mostly short, easy runs at a low heart rate, plus one short, sharper session, usually on Wednesday. You don't want to drop intensity altogether, since your legs need to stay snappy going into the race.
A sample race week
- Monday: Rest
- Tuesday: Easy 5 miles (8 km) + 5–6 strides of 60–100 meters
- Wednesday: Intervals (e.g., 5 x 3 minutes at threshold pace or a touch easier)
- Thursday: Easy run
- Friday: Rest
- Saturday: Easy 5K shakeout + a few light strides
- Sunday: Race day.
Strength training
In the final week, you can keep it to push-ups along with some light core and lower-back work. Drop the rest of the leg strength training, since your legs need to be rested for race day.
Don't add anything new in these final days.
"Nothing new" is basically the golden rule of race week, and it covers your training as well as your food and gear.
Nutrition
Runners generally need to keep an eye on what they eat. Your diet should stay balanced, with a reasonable mix of protein, fat, and carbohydrates, and it helps to lean on foods rich in vitamins and a range of micronutrients.
During the final week, keep your meals simple and light. A few pointers:
- Cut out the fatty, fried, smoked, and salty stuff, especially in the 2 to 3 days before the race. Your liver is going to be working hard on race day, so it's worth easing the load on it ahead of time.
- Resist new culinary temptations. That goes double for races in places with great local food, so save whatever you're dying to try for after the finish.
- Two days out, the classic marathon ritual kicks in: the pasta party. The point is to top off your glycogen stores, which you'll be burning through for most of the race.
As for the carb-depletion approach, where you nearly cut out carbs for three days, there's no clear verdict. Its effectiveness hasn't really been proven, and although some runners swear by it, others say it did nothing for them.
Trying anything new right before a race, diet included, is no guarantee of a payoff. And since any diet means giving up certain foods, you'd have to be genuinely on board with it mentally.
Rest and recovery
This week it's a good idea to treat yourself to a sauna session, a massage, or a long soak. Try to do it no later than three days before the race. Recovery work like this helps loosen up tired muscles and reset you mentally.
The bottom line
Cutting your mileage way back, keeping a little sharpness with light training, plus some recovery work should get you to the start line in good shape.
It's better to do too little than to overdo it and show up tired and worn out. Ideally you'll feel fresh and rested, and at the same time fired up to take on the challenge.
Good luck out there!
