Your complete guide to the marathon taper: 20 common questions

By Henry Howard

When marathon runners hit taper time their mind often takes over, sprinting through a variety of questions. How much should I lower my running volume during the taper? I am feeling sick, should I still run my marathon? What do I eat the day before my marathon? Will I lose fitness during the taper for my marathon?

All of these questions are normal, and among the most common that I hear from my athletes who are training for a marathon. (As an RRCA certified running coach, I have experience guiding runners of all levels to achieve their goals. Learn more here about my experience, philosophy and client testimonials.)

In this guide to the marathon taper, I’ve assembled 20 common questions and answers. Feel free to send me an email with any additional questions or inquiries if you are looking for a coach.

Guide to the marathon taper: the duration and timing

Question: How long should my marathon taper be? Is it different for first-time marathoners?

Answer: Most marathon plans call for a two- to three-week taper. A review of pooled studies found that a two-week reduction of 41%-60% of weekly volume produces the strongest race-day results, with marathoners often extending to three weeks to account for higher accumulated fatigue. For my athletes, I generally prescribe a two-week taper because it keeps them sharp closer to race day, with plenty of time to rest and recover before the marathon. The athletes who get three weeks of taper are generally runners who may be battling an injury, are first-timers who are just focused on finishing, and those who may have work, life or other scheduling conflicts to navigate through.

Question: When should I start my marathon taper?

Answer: The taper begins right after your final long run, typically 2-3 weeks before race day. That last long effort (often 18-20 miles) serves as the final long stimulus. During this time, the volume will decrease and the intensity will also be lowered but workouts will still include speedwork to keep the legs primed.

Question: Does the taper plan change based on experience or weekly mileage?

Answer: Yes, those are some of the factors I consider when customizing their marathon training plan. As a coach, I prescribe two or three weeks for the taper schedule based on several factors. In addition to experience and weekly mileage, I also consider the race goals of the athlete, their running experience, whether they are dealing with an injury, what other races are on their calendar and more.

Training and workouts during marathon taper

Question: How much should I cut my mileage during a marathon taper?

Answer: Reduce your volume gradually rather than all at once. For most athletes, I would take roughly 20%-30% off their peak week during the first taper week, then about 40%-60% off the following week. Cutting too much too fast in week one is one of the most common taper mistakes because it leaves legs flat well before they need to feel fresh. An experienced running coach will help guide the athlete to a properly reduced training load, ensuring that they get to the starting line healthy and ready to race.

Question: Should I stop speed work during a taper for a marathon?

Answer: No! It is important to keep some intensity while volume drops. The key is reducing the mileage, not the speedwork that activates the fast-twitch muscles and keeps the neuromuscular system sharp. Short intervals of 20 or 30 seconds are great for keeping the legs sharp. I also continue to prescribe a mid-distance workout with a marathon or half marathon pace effort, but shortened in duration as compared with earlier workouts. About 10 days before the race, I give my athletes one last key workout that is generally 8 to 10 miles in distance with about 15 minutes worth of fast intervals with ample rest time in between to keep the legs sharp.

Question: Is it OK to squeeze in one more hard workout before race day?

Answer: It’s tempting, but resist a big new effort in the final week. One important thing about the taper is that you will not gain any fitness boost. So one more hard session won’t show make a difference on race day because physiological adaptations take roughly 10 to 14 days. However, a hard workout to close to the race could cause fatigue, which will affect your performance during the race.

Question: Should I still run in the final two or three days before a marathon? How would that differ for a first-time marathon runner?

Answer: Yes, don’t go to zero. Short, easy shakeout runs (with a few strides or fartleks) in the final two or three days keep your legs feeling loose and your neuromuscular system firing, so you don’t show up flat and stiff on race morning. For my athletes, I give them a full rest day either one or two days before the marathon, with the other day being a 3- or 4-mile run with a dose of speedwork like fartleks. I prefer that type of a run the day before because it primes the legs and also helps calm nerves, while the previous full day of rest helps the body recover. I may deviate and switch those days for that for a number of reasons. Among the reasons would be for a first-time marathoner, a runner who is traveling a long way the day before, or an injured runner who would be better served by a full day of rest before a big effort.

How marathon training impacts the body

Question: Why do my legs feel heavy or flat during my taper?

Answer: This is one of the most common taper surprises and it’s completely normal. It takes time for the body to absorb months of training load. With the extra rest and recovery time during the taper, the freshness usually shows up closer to race day, not on day two or three of cutting back. Resist the urge to cut even more mileage just because your legs feel sluggish early in the taper.

Question: Why do random aches and pains show up during the taper?

Answer: As training volume drops, the body finally has the bandwidth to start repairing itself. It’s a similar concept to training for body builders. When they are in the gym pumping iron, they are stressing and tearing muscles. On days when they rest and recover those muscles is when the body repairs itself, repairing and growing them. In runners, that repair process can make minor niggles you never noticed during training suddenly feel more noticeable. It’s part of the reason tapering feels like a mental game. Remember that a tweak that shows up now is rarely a sign something has gone wrong.

Question: Why am I gaining weight during my marathon taper?

Answer: A slight uptick on the scale during the taper is common and usually not fat. Reduced training plus intentional carb-loading causes the body to store more glycogen, and each gram of glycogen is stored with 3-4 grams of water — so a few pounds of ‘weight gain’ is often just fuel and water your body will use on race day, not a real problem to fix.

Food and nutrition before race day

Question: How should I approach carb-loading before my marathon?

Answer: Carb-loading maximizes muscle glycogen stores so you have full fuel tanks on race morning. Most runners start increasing carbohydrate intake in the two to three days before the race while keeping overall calories roughly steady as volume drops, favoring familiar, easily digested carb sources rather than anything new. Don’t gorge yourself on carbs the night before. You don’t want to feel heavy on the start line.

Question: Should I eat less during my taper since I’m burning fewer calories?

Answer: No. This is the taper’s most common nutrition mistake. Cutting calories to match lower mileage can undercut glycogen stores right when you need them topped off. Focus on maintaining (not slashing) carbohydrate intake and let appetite guide overall calories rather than trying to manufacture a deficit.

Question: What should I eat the night before and morning of my marathon?

Answer: This is a common question from runners training for a marathon. For my athletes, I try to get them to practice what they want to eat the night before and morning of the race during their long training runs. In other words, practice your pre-race meals as part of your routine for the long runs leading up to race day. That way your body is used to the food and if you have issues during the long runs, it’s a good indication you should try something else that might work better on race day. As far as what food, keep it simple, familiar and carb-centered. The night before, a moderate, easily digested meal you’ve eaten before big long runs works best. Again, this isn’t the time to try a new restaurant or cuisine. Race morning, eat a familiar high-carb, lower-fiber, lower-fat breakfast two to three hours before the start, with enough time to digest and use the bathroom before you’re on the start line.

The mental side of tapering and understanding the ‘taper crazies’

Question: Why do I feel anxious or restless during the taper? What is taper madness or the taper crazies?

Answer: “Taper madness” or the taper crazies are characterized by restlessness, irritability, phantom aches and second-guessing your training. It is a well-documented response to suddenly dropping training volume after months of a demanding routine. It’s not a sign anything is wrong with your fitness. It’s a normal psychological adjustment. Trust your training and reframe your thoughts into knowing you put in the work and are ready for the goal ahead of you.

Question: How do I mentally trust the taper?

Answer: Remind yourself the work is already done. There is nothing in the final two weeks that meaningfully adds fitness, but overtraining now can compromise your race. Reviewing your training log, sticking to the taper plan you set (rather than the one your anxious brain wants), and filling the extra time and mental energy with something other than obsessing over the race all help.

Cross-training and strength training pre-marathon

Question: What should I do instead of running during the taper?

Answer: Use the extra time for the things that support recovery, not more physical stress. Focus on sleep, aiming for more than you usually get during peak training. It’s also a good time to do gentle mobility work, race-logistics planning and mentally reviewing your race plan. It’s also a good window to catch up on the parts of life that marathon training crowded out. Just don’t fill it with a new hobby or physical tasks around the home that add fatigue.

Question: Should I still strength train during the taper for my marathon?

Answer: Some coaches recommend scaling back strength training rather than cutting it cold. For my athletes, I encourage them to not do strength training in a gym or body weight training in the final 10 to 14 days before the race. However, I do want them to continue to do supplemental work like core exercises, pushups and similar workout “snacks” until about a week before race day. These shorter exercises support the training and don’t contribute to fatigue so they are safe to continue closer to the race.

Question: Can I cross-train more since I’m running fewer miles during taper?

Answer: Be cautious about adding new cross-training now. Light, familiar low-impact activity (easy cycling or swimming) is generally fine if it’s something your body is already used to, but taper isn’t the time to add a new activity or increase cross-training volume. The goal is recovery, not filling the mileage gap with a different kind of fatigue.

Getting sick or injured during the taper

Question: Should I run my marathon if I am sick?

Answer: A mild cold above the neck (stuffy nose, sore throat, headache) is usually fine to race through, often at an adjusted effort. Anything below the neck (chest congestion, flu-related body aches, severe GI issues) is a signal to rest and reassess. Racing through an illness risks a much longer setback than one missed race. Reduced training load can lower immune defenses right before a race, so extra sleep, hydration and hygiene in the final weeks help reduce the odds this becomes an issue at all. It might just be a case of the “taper flu,” a temporary feeling of sickness or heavy fatigue that hits endurance athletes when they reduce their training load before a big race.

Question: Should I run my marathon if I am injured?

Answer: A lot depends on what the injury is and how it responds to rest. A minor niggle that improves with a few extra easy or off days is often manageable with a smart race-day adjustment such as conservative pacing, extra warm-up and/or taping the injury). Any injury that is getting worse, causes you to alter your gait, or produces sharp pain warrants seeing a professional and being honest about whether toeing the line is worth the risk of turning a short-term issue into a long-term one.