Taper to Finish Strong

Less than a week before the , it's time to taper. Tapering is simply doing an easier workout the week before a race.  Does tapering work? How should you do it? Should you taper volume or intensity? 

Tapering isn't just for marathoners. In fact, a recent study showed a three percent performance improvement when subjects tapered for a 5K run.

5K Taper:

Cut your normal mileage in half the week before your 5K/10K race , but maintain some intensity. Early in the week, run four quarter-mile repeats at your 5K goal pace with an easy two-minute effort between repeats. Later in the week, jog/walk two miles, and then run six or eight 20-second strides (about one-tenth of a mile if you are at the state park) at 90 percent effort. Run easy the other days.

10K Taper:

Same as 5K taper, except run your quarter-mile repeats at your 10K goal pace.

What are Striders?

Striders are a great way to let loose and run fast. You should do striders on a smooth, flat surface at the end or near the end of your normal run. A great day to do striders would be the day before a hard workout since they don't really qualify as tough training.

The benefits of striders include:

• Teaching the muscles and the nervous system to run smoothly at a fast pace.
• Short enough distances to not tire you out completely.
• Improving your running form. Running smoothly at top speed will enable you to do so at all speeds.

This is also a great week to get out and review the course.  Go to the  Run for Education website to get a map of the course. You can walk or jog the course a few days before. This is a great time to plan your strategy. 

An overview of this week’s workouts:

• Monday - Run four quarter-mile repeats at 5K/10K pace with two-minute easy effort between repeats
• Tuesday – Preview course, easy effort
• Wednesday – Rest day or cross train
• Thursday – Easy effort jog/walk two miles and then run six to eight 20-second strides
• Friday - Easy effort
• Saturday – Rest day
• Sunday – Event