The final, most important part of your training plan

Hi Reader,

Over the last few weeks, it has really started to feel like marathon season is upon us. We have already seen incredible performances at Seville, Tokyo, Barcelona, and Rome, and coming up, we have runners taking on Paris, Brighton, Manchester, Boston, and London.

This week, I have been sending out training schedules that include the magic word: taper.

For some of you, this brings a huge sigh of relief that all the hard winter miles are finally in the bank. For others, it is a sudden wake-up call that the big day is just around the corner, which can trigger a moment of panic. Have I done enough?

If you are feeling those nerves, let me reassure you. Your best run is still ahead of you, and navigating this final phase correctly is how we unlock it.

Trust the process and avoid the cram

Way back in my secondary school days, my teachers - knowing I was a runner - would write on my school report: "Michael should not rely on a sprint finish before his exams; he should be putting more into his coursework now."

There was a lot of truth in that. As a runner, I knew the value of hard work in the pre-season. But as a scholar, I was lazy, drifted through coursework, and crammed in the final weeks.

The cramming idea just does not work in endurance running. You can do some light training to put the finishing touches on your fitness, but you cannot make up for missed training at the eleventh hour. To run well, it is all about what you did in the months prior. You must put in the groundwork and prepare your physiology long before you reach the start line.

A statement I once heard from a former Runner’s World editor perfectly sums this up:

"The taper period is for preventing negatives."

In other words, you cannot gain much from further hard training other than fatigue. A good taper allows you to recover from months of heavy loading while retaining sufficient sharpness to race at your absolute best. Train smarter, not harder.

What a good taper actually looks like

It depends slightly on your usual weekly volume, but if you are running between four and six days a week, here is how you should structure your final weeks:

• Three weeks out: Reduce your total running quantity to about 80% of normal, but keep the faster interval and tempo sessions. I advise reducing your long run by 25% and running it as a progressive effort - starting at an easy, steady pace, and building up to marathon pace in the final few miles. This encourages positive neuromuscular memory.
• Two weeks out: Drop the volume to 60% of your normal load. Keep the threshold and interval work, but make the duration or number of repetitions shorter. Your last long run should be about 50% of your usual distance, but at a slightly higher tempo.
• Race week: Reduce to 30% of your normal volume and embrace your rest days. Early in the week, do something short and slightly quicker to keep your muscles firing. I always found a session of strides at just a fraction faster than marathon pace worked perfectly.

Bonus workouts to fine-tune your preparation

No matter where you are in your journey, a well-placed session can give you both confidence and practical gains as race day approaches.

Here is my favourite bonus session for this phase:

For London/Manchester marathon runners:​
​Strides session (use this one in the last few weeks of training).

• Start with a 15-minute easy warm-up jog
• Then, complete 10-12 strides of 200 metres each on a flat, smooth surface like a track or quiet road
• Run these at your target marathon pace, focusing on maintaining good form and feeling relaxed
• After each stride, walk or jog slowly back to the starting point to recover
• Finish with a 15-minute cool-down jog

This session is perfect for keeping your legs sharp and reinforcing the specific pace you want to run on race day, without adding any real fatigue. It's a great confidence booster.

For half-marathon runners this spring:​
When to do it: This is a great session to do 2-3 weeks out from your race.

The workout:

• Warm up with 1-2 miles at an easy pace
• Then: 3 miles at tempo pace (comfortably hard, 80-85% effort)
• Recover with 3 minutes of easy jogging. Then: 6 x 400m at 5K pace, with 90 seconds rest between each
• Cool down with 1-2 miles at an easy pace

This blend helps build both stamina and speed for race day.

The final countdown

In the last few days, reduce your training to a very light jog and concentrate on high-carbohydrate intake so you arrive at the start line fully rested and fuelled.

Whether you run or not in those final two days is down to personal preference. I used to take the Friday completely off before a Sunday race, do a little jog around the finish area on Saturday to loosen the legs, and spend time visualising the finish line. Yes, even elite athletes worry about not finishing! After a final high-carb meal at lunchtime, it was early to bed.

Remember: strong body, strong mind, stronger runner. Trust the training you have done, respect the taper, and get ready to achieve your personal best.

If you have any last-minute questions about your race strategy, hit reply and let me know.

Happy running,

Mike Gratton (Head Coach, Coach the Run) & the team.

p.s. Read my latest Ask the Coach blog:

​Why do my long runs leave me wiped out for days?​

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