-productive. Taper your training for two weeks before race day. The best way to do this is to reduce your mileage by about 60 per cent and carry out a few decent-intensity efforts. Focus on greatly-reduced interval sessions in which you use both 5K and 10-mile pace

of the schedule, you should know how your body is coping with the training load. If 22 miles a week is hard work, try cutting down Week 9 to 15 miles, but otherwise you can continue at the regular volume until thelast week.In the final week we start tapering

the long swims, rides and runs are behind the team; now they must avoid the temptation to do 'just one more training session' as they taper for the event. As the eve of the race draws near, it’s time for an honest appraisal of all their efforts, (you can

), and the weather was so much better, etc. It beats me totally..."—An Coppens, 6:07"Even with the best preparation (I even managed appropriate long runs, ate well the week before and tapered), the marathon is an evil unpredictable beastie which bites back

: your calorie and carbohydrate intake needs to match your training energy output. However, as your training volume increases and then tapers, so should your food intake. Planning your pre-race diet needn't be a nutritional nightmare: here are 25 handy

. – MuttleyJoin the threadFor the week ending 23 October 2006...What's Hot?GETTING READY FOR THE DUBLIN MARATHONRemember we are in the taper, so relax, relax and relax some more. Just got to remember this myself on Sunday when I am out on my last 12 miler

be on red alert for injuries. Get to know your danger areas, and stay on the lookout for incipient injuries. And last...... but definitely not least, taper training effectively to avoid burnout, exhaustion or injury – you'll never get to the finish if you

stride length.Weeks 8 - 10Your race is fast approaching, so this month is crucial.  ➊ In terms of distance you should start tapering by reducing the volume (distance) of your training sessions in the two weeks leading up to the race. This will ensure you

the race."10-min bike: 5 mins moderate, 5 mins at race pace. "Then do 30 seconds at recovery pace."10-min run: 5 mins hard, 5 mins recovery. "Taper off your training before a race, but this keeps your muscles ready for the transition," says Hoare.5. Ironman

were tired going into your big race, you could plan to taper for longer in the lead-up to your next important race. Or perhaps you didn't achieve your goals because they were based on factors outside your control, such as the performance of other