Muse - Perhaps one of our running friends can find the thread you are talking about? As a general rule, heavy tapering is best saved for sprinters and middle distance runners. It also is fine (too) for anyone who has been pushing the limits of their adaptive capacity for a long time. Aout 80% of the runners you see at a race starting line do not need to taper much at all. Rather, they need to reduce the severity of their training in the last 5-20 days prior to a big race so that their legs regain power. Tapering volume will return power to one's legs, but it also crushes endurance for some runners. Iet's use an example runner to clarify my points. Joe is a 16:15 5k runner who runs about 65 miles per week, most weeks. He is serious about his sport. He runs VO2 max intervals every week. He has a big race in 2 weeks and reads that tapering to about 1/3rd of normal volume will help him reach a peak performance. If Joe tapers from his normal 65 miles per week to 25 miles per week in the last 2-weeks before an important 5k race, he'd walk around with a bounce (power) in his step after about 4-6 days. *This is irrelevant power - the kind that makes his legs feel strong, but it won't necessairly translate into improved 5k race performance. If Joe ran a 400m sprint at the beginning, middle and end of his taper, he might drop from 62 seconds to 60 seconds to 58 seconds, but does that mean he will run faster in the 5k? Probably not! Why? In most cases, he would lose a lot of aerobic endurance because his mileage was tapered too much. He'd fail in a 5k race because after the first kilometer he'd need to call upon anaerobic capacity to run a given pace that is normally supplied by aerobic capacity. (Anytime you use anaerobic capacity, you have limited time-duration of running fast). A better way to elevate useable leg power is tapering normal quantities of fast, extended running. If Joe normally runs 6 x 800m at 5k to 3k pace (VO2 max training), for example, and he reduces that number to just 3 reps (during the last week before a big race) then his legs won't be as tired, as sore, or as weak. His ability to run well, just a few days later, is likely to be realized. Joe would probably run faster than he has in a quite awhile in a 5k - provided he ignored the common advice about cutting mielage. The above is an oversimplification, sure, but it is clear: distance runners should avoid tapering weekly mileage and, instead, reduce the amount of fast running they do so that their legs feel fresher. By the way, tapering has it's time-limits. If a race is only "a little bit important" race then a short taper of fast running is sufficient - about 3 days. If a race is "fairly important" but not a peak race, then a medium taper of fast reps is suggested - about 6 days. If a race is the peak of the season, a longer tapering of fast running should take place - about 9 days. Note: Races that require a lot of stored sugar (glycogen) in your legs and liver will require you to taper weekly mileage. You simply have no choice in the matter. But, a mileage taper that super-compensates your legs and liver only takes about 4-6 days to complete. If you have legs that are sore (beat up from heavy training that you did not keep in-check), then you wil have to taper up to 3 or more weeks. It takes a long time to return beat-up legs to a healthy status. I've known runners who did not listen to their body's and ran on sore, tired legs for a few weeks and then found that their race times and places were getting worse. They thought that tapering a week or two would help them reach top form, but they were wrong. They went over the edge: They dug to deep into their reserves and it ended up taking them 6 or more weeks of reduced training before their legs felt good again. Hope the above helps! Regards, Tinman