Meredith's Training Diaries: Make Your Taper Work for You
This is the second season of Training Diaries, a Lifehacker series about my journey to the 2024 Philadelphia Marathon. This series will cover all the ups, downs, and hill repeats leading up to race day on Sunday, Nov. 24. I’ll go over proper fueling, injuries and setbacks, treadmill tips, wardrobe malfunctions, long run logic, and just generally reflect on what it takes to cross a marathon finish line.
I write this post while furiously bouncing my leg with nervous energy. My marathon is two days away, and all I want to do to deal with the anxiety and excitement is go on a nice long run. Unfortunately, in the days leading up to a race, that is the number one thing I'm not allowed to do.
When I wrote about surviving the dreaded taper last year, I focused on tips for the mental challenge. Today, I bring you more concrete tips for making your taper work for you, so that all your months of training can shine through on race day.
Why the taper matters
The taper is not just a pre-race break—it's a scientifically proven strategy to optimize your performance. Tapering is all about letting your body recover, refuel, and get primed for peak performance on race day. During this period, your body repairs tissue damage, replenishes glycogen stores, and reduces fatigue without sacrificing fitness. Research shows that a proper taper can improve race performance by 2-3%. So let's take a look at what a proper taper entails.
The perfect taper timeline
You’ve been pushing yourself for months, and now, as race day approaches, it’s time to dial it back and focus on your final preparations.
One week before
Reduce your weekly mileage by 40-50%.
Maintain workout intensity but decrease duration.
Complete your last "long" run (8-10 miles).
Focus on quality sleep (aim for 8+ hours).
4-5 days before
Cut mileage to 30-40% of peak training.
Include short bursts of race-pace running.
Begin carbohydrate loading.
Avoid trying new foods or activities.
2-3 days before
Take an easy, 20-30 minute run.
Practice visualization techniques.
Organize race-day gear.
Review race strategy and pace goals.
Day before
Take a short, 15-20 minute shakeout run (optional)
Stay off your feet.
Prepare race outfit and supplies.
Get to bed early.
Nutrition during taper week
Oh, how I love to carbo-load with a purpose. In the days leading up to the marathon, you want to gradually increase your carbohydrate intake. This doesn’t mean overdoing it, but focusing on quality carbs like pasta, rice, oats, and sweet potatoes to fuel up for race day. Do this over a few days rather than just the night before the race. Focus on familiar, easily digestible foods.
What to eat the day before a marathon
Carbo-load! For the three days leading up to the marathon, increase your carbohydrate intake to 70% of your total calories. Good carb sources are whole wheat pastas, potatoes, rice, oats, etc.
Eat familiar foods to avoid GI issues. Now is not the time to try new exotic dishes. Stick to the routine meals you know your body can tolerate.
Hydrate well in the days before. Aim for 12-16 cups of water daily to store water in your muscles. Reduce fiber intake to avoid GI problems.
Have a big carb-filled dinner the night before. Pasta primavera, rice and beans, pizza, etc.
What to eat on marathon morning
Eat two to four hours before the starting gun. Set your alarm early to allow time to digest.
Go for easily digested carbs and a little protein. Oatmeal, whole wheat toast, banana, peanut butter, eggs.
Drink 16oz of water or sports drink. Hydrate well in the morning.
Avoid high-fiber, high-fat, or high-protein foods, which can cause GI distress.
Common taper traps to avoid
Drastically cutting back your mileage indeed messes with your head. Over the past five marathons, here are all the taper pitfalls I've learned to avoid.
Phantom pains. Don't panic about every new ache—reduced training often makes runners hypersensitive to normal sensations. Trust that your body is healing.
Excess energy. Resist the urge to use your extra energy for non-running activities. Now is not the time to rearrange furniture or start a home improvement project.
Compensatory eating. Maintain normal portions despite reduced training. Slight weight gain from glycogen storage is normal, but overeating can impact race performance.
Trouble foods. My most common culprits are high-fiber foods the day before the race; heavy, fatty meals; new or unfamiliar foods; and excessive caffeine.
Training doubt. The taper often triggers anxiety about lost fitness. Remember: You can't improve fitness in the final week, but you can sabotage it by overtraining. My guiding philosophy to get through the taper is that “the hay is in the barn”: All the hard work is done, and there’s nothing else to do—even if you want to.
Final thoughts
Think of the taper as a reward, not a restriction. Review your training logs to boost confidence, and connect with other runners for support. I like to visualize all the possible race-day scenarios and set process-oriented race-day goals. For instance, I really paint a picture in my mind of me digging deep to draw on inner reserves of strength.
Embrace this period as an essential part of your marathon journey. Trust the process, stay patient, and remember that feeling fresh on race day is far better than feeling overtrained.
Remember: You can't improve your fitness during the taper, but you can arrive at the starting line rested, recovered, and ready to achieve your marathon goals. Focus on controlling what you can control, and trust that the hay is already in the barn.