Forums >Running 101>Half Marathon Taper Strategy
Everyone -- I'm running a target Half Marathon on Oct 4th (a week from Sunday) and I'm not sure what to do about a taper for the final week before the Race.
My primary training plan for this Half Marathon has been to get my weekly mileage up to 40 MPW. And to run a mid week run (7 or 8 miles) and a weekend long run (10 to 12 miles) and I have been pretty successful. Additionally, over the past ONE month, I've been running a little up tempo (one or two days per week) which has consisted of: 5x1 minutes (at faster then 5K pace) or 5x5 min (at 5K pace) intertwined within a 5 mile run day....and of course, I have thrown in some Half Marathon paced miles (here and there) over the past few weeks - again as part of a longer easy runs........
SO -- as far as I know, there is really nothing else I can do, to prepare for this race but to properly taper.....but I'm not sure what I should do for a taper....
Can you take a look at my running log and give me some advice on what I should do for this last week before my race.
Thanks -- John
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I just ran my HM in September (9/12) and I did a long run on Sunday followed by a recovery 3 miler on Monday, a Hard run on Tuesday, then two days off (partly b/c of work schedule. I would have liked to run a little) and then a 3 mile jog the day before the race.
My legs felt dead on Friday (the 3 miler), but very fresh and ready to go on Saturday. I ran a good time for me.
You're doing about 10 more miles per week than I was doing going into the race, so you should be able to handle a little more mileage in the taper week. I can't offer you anything other than that advice.
Oh- and don't eat pizza the night before. Even after dropping deuce before the race, I was squeezing the last half of the half. Seriously, I'm lucky I didn't pull a hammy.
Good luck! You're gonna tear it up I'm sure.
2014 Goal -- Run 5X per week, pain-free (relatively) by end of summer.
You didn't have a huge ramp up ... so I am not sure a "TAPER" is necessary but making sure you are running extra easy... and taking a few days off before the race will make sure your legs are fresh. You might consider doing a some strides after your tues workout... I like to do that race week...
GL...
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John - for a HM, I wouldn't recommend any form of 'taper' per see. You're not trying to stockpile glycogen and all that stuff. Just do what you know is needed to have your legs feel fresh Sunday morning. Back off the intensity in the lead-in week, and take a few days off or go pretty short.
Don't skip the Saturday run the day before, and even include some up-tempo strides in it to knock out any cobwebs, as soon as you feel strong and ready, shut it down.
Better to spend your energy working on the weather juju to avoid a blustery, wet October wind out of the northeast, you don't want that in the Hampton course.
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John,
Good luck with race and you are way ready for this...almost marathon ready if you would have chosen so the half will be yours.
Never really had half as a target race so never really tapered due to marathon schedule, but as others have said just lower intensity and gauage your freshness as the week goes and have never had a problem of not being rested enough for the half.
"It's supposed to be hard. If it wasn't hard, everyone would do it. The hard... is what makes it Great!
Hey -- thanks for your input. As always you can count on RA members to help out.
Think I am going to pretty much maintain my normal weekly runs but with less intensity and probably the last two or three days before the race only run 3 miles -- very easy.....so that I'm nice and fresh when I get to the starting line...
I really hate to take days off -- cause I always run really badly the day after a day off...but Ill really slow it down...
skyedog - thanks for the kind words.....I consider people in RA that ask questions to be my friends and I always try to help my friends....
Consistently Slow
Everyone -- I'm running a target Half Marathon on Oct 4th (a week from Sunday) and I'm not sure what to do about a taper for the final week before the Race. Thanks -- John
Thanks for asking. My half is the same day. I was wondering about tapering for a half. I unfortunately was forced to taper due to stress. Planned 4 week cut back last week. This week heart rate up 7 beats. Today 10 beats below normal. Over the past month mileage average at 35 miles a week. Mileage down to 15 this week. If heart gets back to normal will probably do 25 miles next week with a 3 mile run on saturday. Probably a post better suited for LHR forum.
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Hey -- thanks for your input. As always you can count on RA members to help out. Think I am going to pretty much maintain my normal weekly runs but with less intensity and probably the last two or three days before the race only run 3 miles -- very easy.....so that I'm nice and fresh when I get to the starting line... I really hate to take days off -- cause I always run really badly the day after a day off...but Ill really slow it down... skyedog - thanks for the kind words.....I consider people in RA that ask questions to be my friends and I always try to help my friends....
FWIW, I generally do the opposite of what most of you are suggesting. I keep the intensity up, but cut way back on the mileage—unless I'm just training through the race. The last thing I want to do before a race is to have a lot of miles slower than race pace. During the taper, your endurance capability has already been set by previous training. You don't really need many miles, but you do need to remain (or get) sharp. The intensity does that, and you'll still be fresher because of the mileage cutback.
The last thing I want to do before a race is to have a lot of miles slower than race pace. During the taper, your endurance capability has already been set by previous training. You don't really need many miles, but you do need to remain (or get) sharp. The intensity does that, and you'll still be fresher because of the mileage cutback.
This has not been my experience with the half marathon.
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glad to see this discussion. I'm training for first half on 11/8 with (goal of finishing) and hadn't planned my taper yet. I have different issues from John A. I am a 63 yo (by race time), post heart attack, slow run/walker able to run maybe 20mi/wk. For me, I've been planning to increase Sunday long run to 3hrs hold that for a few weeks, run a 5k on 10/18, then back to 3hr long runs. Would cut week before to 2hrs, and do normal easy runs race week and add an easy 2-3 miler on the Sat before the Race. I did a similar taper before a labor day 15k and finished faster than I thought I could on a hot day.
Bottom line - I think we all know our bodies and need to make our own kentucky windage to general rules of thumb. There are a number of excellant suggestions in this thread, but its up to us to decide how to avoid injury.
Good luck John! I'll be looking for your results - and will incorporate into my own planning!
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Complete the last 3 races in the Austin Distance Challenge, Rogue 30k, 3M Half, Austin Full
Break the 1000 mi barrier!
History: blessed heart attack 3/15/2008; c25k july 2008 first 5k 10/26/2008 on 62nd birthday.
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You are probably out for your run already.
Thanks Tchuck (and everyone else) I just finished a few minutes ago -- it's POURING RAIN today, so I ended up down stairs on my treadmill for 10 miles...so your right. I started off at a really slow easy pace for a couple of miles and gradually picked it up.. I did get 'probably' 3 miles at what felt like a half marathon pace.....and 10 was my plan for today (even could I have run out side)....
And from here out, its pretty much easy --- and I'm thinking the below schedule for this week....
Mon - 4 mile (slow recovery type run).
Tue - 8 miles (might throw in a few striders)
Wed - 4 easy
Thur 4 easy
Fri - 3 easy
Sat - 2 REALLY Easy
Sun - 2 miles warm up and then RACE TIME
I'll run every day unless work get in the way --- because I alwasy feel like CRAP if I dont run......
mikeymike, I generally agree with about 95% of the training advice I've read you give people on RA. That's a really high agreement percentage. This time we apparently go about a HM taper differently. That's okay. I'm sure the best taper method for runner A could be different for runner B. As long as the runner is fresh for the race, that's all that matters. For me, I like to keep some intensity during the training and cut the miles. The reduction in mileage refreshes me more than not including any fast paces.
But then again, maybe my taper method is a result of most of my races being 10Ks with a lot of 5Ks in recent years. (When I started running road 5Ks were rare and HM were fairly uncommon.)
mikeymike, I generally agree with about 95% of the training advice I've read you give people on RA. That's a really high agreement percentage. This time we apparently go about a HM taper differently. That's okay. I'm sure the best taper method for runner A could be different for runner B. As long as the runner is fresh for the race, that's all that matters. For me, I like to keep some intensity during the training and cut the miles. The reduction in mileage refreshes me more than not including any fast paces. But then again, maybe my taper method is a result of most of my races being 10Ks with a lot of 5Ks in recent years. (When I started running road 5Ks were rare and HM were fairly uncommon.)
Tapering is highly personal. For a half marathon I think most people (especially those of us over 35) respond much better to keeping mileage roughly even but reducing the intensity of workouts, but not everyone is the same.
When I read your respose my first thought was that you probably had a track background and raced a lot at mile to 5k. In which case that makes perfect sense. What I've found with the half marathon is that a.) having fresh legs is not really a priority and in fact just makes it more likely I'll go out too fast and, b.) it's the distance I can race best off of pure base training, with no race specific work. The half is on the very fast end of our pure aerobic paces--so any little drop in aerobic function (via reduced mileage) will show up.
My best half marathons have always come in the heart of marathon training, with no taper at all. Any time I've actually tapered for a half, I've blown up.