Taper for Half marathon? - Training

TimR

26/04/2012 at 20:45

I have a half marathon in 2 Sundays time. I've run 2 halfs already this year with a 2:00 and a 1:55 two weeks apart. Last year I ran 4 halfs and a marathon.

Usually I space them out a month apart and I'll just run a 7 mile the Sunday before and wind down ready for the race the next week.

I saw recently someone commenting that it wasn't necessary to taper. Anyone else have any views?

dean richardson 7

26/04/2012 at 20:49

i would normally go reduced mileage a week before the HM. Others in my club dont. Whilst some might say its not necessary to taper any training you do in the week before a HM isnt going to help that race...plus i enjoy the extra rest to get my limbs recovered...so im happy

TimR

26/04/2012 at 20:58

Yes. That's my thoughts. I'm not going to benefit from the 13 and then I'm going to hammer my legs for the following two weeks, then two more 13 LSR before taper for the next one. I'm not sure my philosophy is great but it fits with the local races I want to do.

Mike Sheridan

26/04/2012 at 21:03

Agree with Dean.

If the race is your "A" race then you have to repect it and rest up for it otherwise why would you race when you are tired? The answer to that question is if the upcoming race is on a staging post to something down the line....for example, I ran a HM in mid-Feb in preparation for the London Mara last w/e. I still did a mini taper for the HM, but the main focus was of course, the marathon.

If you feel you must run in race week just do no more than 3 or 4 easy miles on Tuesday and 2 miles with strides on Thursday. Then rest until Sunday race day..eat well, sleep well before hand.

Good luck

TimR

26/04/2012 at 21:24

I didn't race at all in the run up to my marathon in November. My last race was in July. I can't see the point as I think racing would affect my ability to do the very long runs which I feel are the most important aspect of marathon training.

'A' races? I kind of treat all my half marathons as A races.

PhilPub

26/04/2012 at 22:36

I've got a HM coming up Sunday week and it's most definitely a target race. My version of a taper is to just really cut down the volume during the week leading up to the race, so effectively this evening's long tempo run was the last full-on quality session. Sunday's long run may be reduced slightly, I've been in the habit of knocking out 16 miles most weekends but may do 12 - 14. I'll do a cut-down interval session on Tuesday - not sure what we've got planned but maybe 4 x 800 instead of 8? - and a short tempo run on Thursday; it just happens that there's a club 5k race that I'll be running in but I'll happily run it around target HM pace given the short distance.

I think there are two elements to the taper, one being recovery of your muscles from hard training and the other being topped up stores of glycogen. I don't think you need anything like the taper as for a marathon because you're coming down from a smaller peak of volume, and you don't need to be packed to the hilt with glycogen stores for 13.1 miles. So a week to get over any really hard sessions seems long enough to me.

KinverRoss

26/04/2012 at 23:14

Yeah agree on cutting the mileage and finishing off your training a few days previously with an intensive session.

One of the worst tapers was for my IronMan triathlon and I ended up training more than I should of in the last week just because I had so little faith in my own fitness. in reality, anything you do in the last week isnt going to really help you so do nothing or just do one intense session in the last week - completely up to you!

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baldbloke

27/04/2012 at 10:30

yep, taper away....

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