Tapering: Arrive fresh on race day

You've done all the work. Tapering is the final days that transform this accumulated load into performance — if you get the dose right.

What is tapering?

It's the progressive reduction of training load before an important race, to clear accumulated fatigue while maintaining your fitness. Goal: raise your freshness (TSB) into the positive for race day (understanding TSB).

How long?

• Short race (10 km, sprint): 5 to 7 days is enough.
• Half marathon, Olympic triathlon: ~1 to 10 days.
• Marathon, 70.3, Ironman: 10 to 14 days.

The golden rule: reduce VOLUME, keep some INTENSITY

The classic mistake is to stop everything and rest completely — result: you feel "flat", heavy. The right taper:

• Drops volume by around 40-60%.
• Keeps some intensity touches (short accelerations at race pace) to stay "sharp" and responsive.
• Maintains session frequency: short frequent sessions are better than complete rest.

Sensations during tapering

It's normal to feel heavy or "not in your legs" during tapering: your body is clearing fatigue. Don't panic and don't add more to "reassure" yourself. Freshness returns in the final days.

The home stretch

Take care of sleep, hydration and nutrition (carb-load in the last 2-3 days). Prepare your gear in advance to avoid stress. And remember: at this stage, you're not building fitness, you're preserving it.

A personalized taper for you

Sports Coach AI detects your A races and automatically triggers tapering at the right time, balancing volume and intensity based on your actual load (TSB) to peak on race day.