Marathon taper - speed work

Reading conflicting advise everywhere so wonder what you lot do...

During taper do you keep doing some speedwork such as tempo runs or intervals, but just keep mileage/duration shorter - or do you think that's too risky and keep all runs easy with maybe a few miles here and there at MP?

Normal convention is to keep the same type of sessions/runs but just shorten the duration/distance as you taper towards the day.

Depending on your mileage and base, but a drop of 75% 3 weeks out, 50% 2 weeks out and down to 25% 1 week out is a typical 3 week tapre or 66% 2 weeks out and 33% 1 week out if you have been running higher mileage and a 2 week taper.

However, we are all different.

yes, I have read this also - but other places state that shouldn't run faster than MP...e,g, http://www.runnersworld.co.uk/racing/winding-down---two-weeks-to-go/2778.html

If you are used to doing speed work then carry on but reduced as Sean said. If it's not something you do normally then don't!
I find in the taper a short sharp run or a few intervals stops me from getting lethargic and twitchy. Less than 3 days before is not advised - you wouldn't get any benefit from it anyway. Tuesday before a Sunday race is my normal last speedier run. Recovery run the Wed, med run Thu then rest works for me.
But as said we are all different and you need to find what works for you - last week absolute priority is to stay injury free!

Yeah, pretty much what Jeremy said for me too.  This evening our club training group did 16 x 400, but the marathon guys just did 5 or 6. I would've done the same, then maybe rest or easy tomorrow and a final run on Thursday, just a few miles with maybe 2/3 at target pace, or just a very easy run with some strides.

At this stage a lot of what you do is for confidence.  The taper can leave you feeling a bit heavy-legged so getting the legs turning over fairly quickly, yet finishing the run feeling fresh, can't do you any harm.