Liv over at Liv to Run wonders whether or not she should taper for a 10k.
My Smartcoach schedule has me running my highest mileage ever in this, the second-to-last week before the race, and a hard long tempo only two days before. Should I stick to this, or would it be better to cut back a little and focus on easier runs?
From my own experience, if you have a goal race, then you should taper. For a marathon, the taper should begin 2� to 3 weeks before the race; for a 10k, I usually only taper for a 5 days or a week. That will probably depend upon your training level and experience though. If you have a good base, and a 10k is your longest race to date, then you are better off taking a little more rest.
One thing that I almost never do, however, is take the day off before any race. A basketball player probably shoots some hoops the day before a big game, and a football player certainly spends time going over plays and getting a few light hits in. As a runner, I want to practice the day before. If possible, I’d like to go for an easy 2 to 3 miler on the course itself, and try to strategize what I am going to do the next day. The run does not need to be more than a 15 to 30 minute jig jog, but it keeps me loose and helps prepare me for the next day. If I try to run hard without having run at all the day before, then it takes me longer to warm up and I never really feel like I am ready to go fast.
That is my two cents on tapering for a 10k, or for any race at any distance. If it was just a random 10k then I would likely just “train through” and use it as a speed workout. If it is something like the Beach to Beacon that I train towards, then I definately taper.
How about you? Do you taper for a 10k, or just for longer races?
I use only one week of taper and I do run a day before a race. That last week goes something like: x-train, off, run easy, off, run little with fartlek included, race. My races might be a bit longer, but that what works for me and my coaches advise it as well.
I feel tapering is awesome for your body. Even though it is hard mentally, there is a lot to the old addage that is is better to be undertrained than overtrained. Even though I am sure you are not undertrained, I think not tapering sets you up for being overtrained.
Thanks so much! That was really helpful! I’m not running many races this year (poor student, after all ;)) so every race is a “goal” race for me. I’ll definitely take it easy and then jog the day before. Fingers crossed for a new PR (he he, I’ve only run one 10k before, so that shouldn’t be too hard…)
Good luck with the PR, then. I used to run the 10k and 5k in college; sometimes in the same meet. My goal is to beat all of my college PRs, though. A little tougher since I train for marathons and want to PR in those shorter distances, but it could still happen.
Tapering is very tough on the mind. Great for the body though. The trick is not to do something stupid with all the extra energy you find yourself with.
I think tapering can be very tricky. If you’ve had a long racing season already, I think you should start your taper 5-10 days out from your big race. I think you should focus on keeping the legs feeling good, while also doing some fast tune up intervals and keeping your easy days consistant. Sleep, nutrition, and massage are also key to prepare for the big race. Just as an easy estimate, I like to cut my mileage in half the week before the race. Those are just some of the things I think.
As a former boxer I’m convinced of the benefits of tapering. Now as a serious veteran runner I follow the same principles by drastically reducing volume whilst increasing intensity as the big day approaches. For shorter races from 60meters up to 10 kilometers I would certainly suggest a warm up plus drills and or strides the day before your race as I believe the stimulus is retained and carried over to performance. By all means rest from training two days before. Positive mental visualisation should also be used during the few days prior to competion.