The short answer
Race-week tapering is the final reduction in training stress after the useful work is already done. Reduce volume, keep only familiar rhythm, and use the saved time to confirm sleep, travel, equipment, fueling and the current organizer instructions.
Endurance taper research supports reducing volume while retaining some intensity and frequency across many successful designs. It does not identify one exact schedule for every athlete. Adjust the checklist to the preceding load, event and recovery response.
Seven-day decision board
| Window | Training job | Logistics job |
|---|---|---|
| 7–5 days | final controlled, familiar session | confirm course, start, travel and weather policy |
| 4–3 days | easy volume and short rhythm | prepare tested kit and fueling |
| 2 days | rest or short familiar movement | pack, charge devices, protect sleep |
| 1 day | no fitness test | confirm transport, bib and start time |
| Race morning | execute the rehearsed warm-up | use only confirmed products and gear |
If your event falls on another day, move the sequence rather than forcing a Monday-to-Sunday template.
What to remove
- extra distance added for confidence;
- unfamiliar hard strength work;
- a new shoe, fuel, supplement or mobility routine;
- make-up sessions from a missed week;
- repeated checking that turns an ordinary sensation into another workout.
What to keep
- short, familiar movement that normally leaves you better;
- ordinary meals and a rehearsed fueling plan;
- the warm-up cues used in training;
- any clinician-approved routine already in place;
- a written opening-pace rule and a realistic plan B.
Complete the execution note
- Official start time and wave: ___
- Transport departure and backup: ___
- Tested shoes and clothing: ___
- Breakfast and first race intake: ___
- Opening effort cap: ___
- Condition that triggers plan B: ___
- Emergency contact and medical information: ___
Use the marathon fueling planner only with inputs already rehearsed. The pace guide can help write an opening rule, but race-week evidence should not become a new aggressive target.
When to change the plan
Remove intensity when easy effort is unusually hard, sleep has collapsed or soreness is accumulating. Stop training and seek appropriate assessment for chest pain, fainting, severe breathing difficulty, acute injury, illness that worsens with exercise, or pain that changes movement.
Feeling nervous or flat does not prove that fitness has disappeared. Do not try to manufacture confidence with a late test.
This checklist is educational and not medical advice.