How to Taper for a Marathon: The Perfect 3-Week Plan to Peak on Race Day

Why Taper Before a Marathon? The Science Behind Backing Off

After months of grinding out tough training, you might think the weeks leading up to a marathon are the time to cram in more miles.

Reality check: smart runners do the opposite. They taper, gradually reducing their training load in the final ~3 weeks before race day.

The goal? Simple. Show up at the starting line with your body at full strength, fitness intact, and fatigue gone. By scaling back your mileage and allowing extra recovery time, you give your body a chance to repair, refuel, and bounce back from all those punishing workouts.

Research backs this up. A proper three-week taper can shave about 5 minutes off your marathon time (roughly a 2-3% improvement) compared to minimal tapering. That could be the difference between hitting your target time or missing it.

So how does running less actually help you run faster? During heavy training, fatigue and micro-damage accumulate and mask your true fitness. Tapering clears this fatigue, triggering several positive changes:

Muscle Recovery and Glycogen Replenishment

When you cut back on mileage, your muscles finally get time to repair tiny tears from training and rebuild their energy stores. Studies show muscle glycogen (stored carbohydrate fuel) increases significantly during taper. You’re essentially filling up your leg’s fuel tanks before race day. Blood tests of tapered runners show lower levels of creatine kinase (a marker of muscle damage), proof that muscle tissue has healed from previous workouts.

Reduced Fatigue and Hormonal Balance

Those weeks of long runs and speedwork strain your body’s systems. A good taper lets your stress hormones normalise. Cortisol (a stress hormone) drops, and the testosterone-to-cortisol ratio improves, signalling recovery mode. Runners who taper properly show significantly lower fatigue markers than during heavy training. Many also report better moods as deep fatigue lifts.

Boosted Red Blood Cells and Oxygen Delivery

Improvements in blood physiology. Research shows tapering can increase your total blood volume and red blood cell count. More red blood cells mean your blood can deliver oxygen to muscles more efficiently, essentially supercharging your aerobic engine. These blood adaptations, plus an increase in aerobic enzymes in your muscle fibres, help you maintain marathon pace with less effort.

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Improved Muscle Strength and Power

It’s not just endurance that gets a boost; your muscles actually get stronger during taper. As micro-tears heal, muscle fibre performance improves. Research on trained runners shows increases in leg strength and power output after tapering. Even your fast-twitch muscle fibres (the ones you recruit for surges or finishing kicks) respond during taper. Studies have found that after proper tapering, these fibres can grow larger and contract more forcefully, without gaining muscle weight. This translates to extra “pop” in your legs, helping you finish strong or maintain form in those gruelling final miles.

Maintained Fitness (No Detraining)

Perhaps most reassuring, a well-planned taper won’t erase the fitness you’ve worked so hard to build. Multiple studies confirm that key indicators of aerobic fitness, like VO₂ max, remain stable during a 2-3 week taper. You won’t suddenly “get out of shape” by resting more. On the contrary, by shedding fatigue while keeping your engine tuned, you might actually gain fitness through what exercise scientists call “supercompensation.”

The science is clear: tapering allows your body to adapt and recover from training, resulting in fresher legs and measurable performance gains on marathon day. Now let’s look at how to do it effectively.

How to Taper in the Last 3 Weeks: Gradually Reducing Volume, Not Intensity

Tapering is a balancing act. Reduce your overall training volume to eliminate fatigue, without cutting training quality so much that you lose fitness. In practice, you’ll run fewer total miles each week, but keep some faster running in your schedule (just less of it) to stay sharp.

The classic marathon taper lasts about three weeks (21 days) for most runners, starting right after your last big long run. Some experienced/elite runners prefer a 2-week taper, but I’d recommend sticking with 3 weeks for most runners. Remember, you won’t gain huge fitness in the last 3 weeks, but you can definitely overtrain and arrive exhausted at the starting line. Here is a week-by-week breakdown:

Three Weeks Out (21 Days to Go)

Volume: Cut your weekly mileage to about 80-85% of your peak. That means trimming roughly 15-20% off the distance you ran during your highest-mileage week. This reduction starts relieving fatigue without signalling your body that training is over. If you maxed out at 80 km per week, scale back to about 64-68 km this week. You can do this by shortening your mid-week runs and maybe replacing one easy run with an extra rest day.

Long Run: Still do a long run this week, but make it shorter than your max. A good rule: reduce your long run distance by 10-20% from your longest training run. If your longest run was 32 km, aim for 26-29 km. This long run (typically done 3 weeks out from race day) is often your last truly long effort. Keep it at an easy or normal long-run pace. Now’s not the time for fast finishes that could leave you sore.

Intensity: Maintain, don’t gain. Continue your weekly speed or tempo sessions, but slightly reduce the volume. If your plan included a mid-week tempo run of 10 km, do only 6-8 km of tempo this week. Maintain similar paces and effort as your previous workouts, just with fewer repeats or kilometres. Don’t introduce any new, super-intense workouts; stick with familiar run types (like marathon-pace runs or gentle intervals).

Research shows keeping some intensity during taper (versus switching to all easy jogging) preserves more fitness. One study found that tapering with continued high-intensity but low-volume running led to better performance than simply doing low-intensity running.

Takeaway: Do a weekly workout to remind your legs how marathon pace feels, but make it shorter. For example, try a few kilometres at goal marathon pace at the end of a mid-week run, or 5-6 × 800m repeats at your normal 5K/10K pace instead of 8-10 repeats. This keeps your legs primed without exhausting you.

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Eliud Kipchoge 3 weeks out from London Marathon completing (8x2km) track workout.

Two Weeks Out (14 Days to Go)

Volume: Drop your mileage further to about 60-70% of your peak week. Rest becomes priority now. If you peaked at 80 km, you’re looking at perhaps 50 km this week (around 60%). Many plans target roughly half of peak volume here, but anywhere in the 50-70% range works depending on your experience. Almost all these kilometres should be at easy pace, except for small race-pace tune-ups.

Spread your running across the same number of days as before, just with shorter runs each day. For example, if you normally do 10 km easy runs, scale them to 5-7 km this week. This maintains your routine and frequency, helping you feel normal, while still cutting volume. Your body likes consistency; drastically cutting the number of running days can leave you feeling sluggish, so it’s often better to run shorter rather than skipping too many days.

Long Run: One week before the marathon (the weekend at the end of this week), plan a final “long” run of 8-16 km, depending on your experience. For most runners, about 12 km is plenty. This run is more about keeping your legs loose and confidence high than building fitness. Do NOT run anything close to a full marathon two weeks out! In fact, if you’re new to marathons, running much more than 10-15 km at this point might leave your muscles still recovering on race day. Aim to finish this run feeling fresh, not depleted.

Think of it as a dress rehearsal: practise your pacing, wear your race shoes/gear, but stop well before fatigue sets in.

Intensity: Include one light workout early in the week, then let your legs rest. For example, you might do a marathon-pace tempo of 5-8 km on Tuesday, or a short interval session like 4×800m at half-marathon pace. The volume should be modest: about 50-70% of what you’d normally do in a heavy training week. After that, make the rest of your runs easy.

It helps to sprinkle a few strides (short 100m relaxed sprints) at the end of an easy run once or twice this week to keep your legs feeling snappy. These quick strides combat the dull, heavy-legged feeling that sometimes comes when your mileage drops.

Overall intensity tip: Don’t do any all-out race simulations or killer speed sessions now. You’re far better off slightly under-training than overdoing it in this critical window.

Abdi Nageeye 3 weeks out from London marathon completing (2km,1km x5) track workout.

Race Week (The Final 7 Days)

By the last week, you’ve reached the taper’s ultimate challenge: patience! This week is about staying loose while fully resting up. It can be mentally tough to dramatically cut back your running, but remember that any training done now has virtually no time to yield additional fitness. Your mission is to arrive at the start 100% fresh.

Volume: Reduce your mileage to around 30-50% of your peak week, not counting the race itself. Your pre-race runs will be very short. If you were running 80 km at peak, you might run only 20-30 km across the five to six days before the marathon. Many runners take an extra rest day (or two) in the final week.

Runs: Most runs this week should feel easy and short. For example, you might do 5 km easy on Monday, 6-8 km on Tuesday with a few minutes at marathon pace in the middle, 5 km Wednesday, 3-5 km Thursday, rest Friday, and a very short 3 km shakeout on Saturday. Avoid runs longer than 6-8 km in the final 4-5 days.

A common approach is to rest completely two days before the race, then jog 3-4 km the day before as a shakeout. That pre-race shakeout helps calm nerves and keeps your legs from feeling too stiff on race morning.

Intensity: Other than a few brief marathon-pace pickups early in the week, there’s no need for dedicated speed workouts now. You can include one very light workout about 4-5 days out (maybe 4-5 × 2-minute repeats at marathon goal pace mid-week), but keep it purely as a confidence booster.

Many runners skip formal workouts in race week and just do normal short runs with perhaps a couple of strides. The key rule: don’t do anything exhausting or new. You’re just ticking over to stay sharp. Any faster running should finish with you thinking, “I could do more,” not with jelly legs.

To visualise these guidelines, here’s how a marathon taper might scale down weekly distance for different training volumes:

Peak Weekly Volume	3 Weeks Out (≈80%)	2 Weeks Out (≈60%)	Race Week (≈30%)
60 km	~48 km	~36 km	~18 km
80 km	~64 km	~50 km	~24 km
100 km	~80 km	~60 km	~30 km

These are approximate targets. For instance, a runner peaking at 80 km might run ~64 km in the first taper week, ~50 km in the second, and ~24 km (plus the 42.2 km marathon race) in the final week. Notice how the total weekly volume drops roughly 20% each week. This matches evidence that a gradual ~50% total reduction in training load optimises performance gains.

By race week, your training load is very low, and that’s exactly the point. You’re banking as much rest as possible, while doing just enough running to keep your legs mobile.

A note on individual variation: This plan works well for many marathoners, but it’s not one-size-fits-all. Taper length and volume can be adjusted based on your experience and how you feel.

If you’re newer to running or felt extremely fatigued at the end of heavy training, err on the side of a bigger taper (the full three weeks and perhaps slightly larger drops in mileage). If you’re very experienced and feel you “lose your edge” with too much rest, you might shorten the taper to 2 weeks or 10-14 days for future races. Some elite or advanced runners prefer a 14-day taper.

Research suggests 8-14 days can be sufficient for highly trained athletes. A meta-analysis of competitive athletes found a 2-week taper yielded the best results on average. The downside of a shorter taper is carrying more fatigue into race day; the upside is minimising any risk of detraining.

Many high-mileage runners compromise with two weeks of major tapering and then a slightly higher load in the third-to-last week. On the flip side, studies on recreational marathoners show that a strict 3-week taper can significantly improve performance for most runners.

So if in doubt, take the full three weeks. You’re likely to feel fresher and run better for it. The table above is a starting template, but listen to your body: if you still feel worn out 10 days from the race, extra rest (and maybe further reduction in volume) is usually wiser than extra miles.

Common Taper Pitfalls (and How to Avoid Them)

Tapering sounds straightforward, but in practice it can be mentally challenging. Many runners get anxious as mileage drops, a phenomenon often called the “taper crazies” or “taper tantrums.” Here are some common pitfalls to watch for in those final weeks, and tips to avoid them:

Doing Too Much Due to Panic

Perhaps the number one mistake is not tapering enough. It’s tempting to squeeze in one more hard long run or a last-minute killer workout because you’re worried you haven’t “done enough.” Resist this urge! Trust your training and stick to the plan.

Cramming extra miles or intensity during taper will backfire by adding fatigue or risking injury when you’re supposed to be shedding fatigue. Remember that you won’t gain meaningful fitness in the final 2-3 weeks, but you can ruin your race by arriving tired or hurt.

As a coach, this is one of the most common mistakes I see: runners who nailed months of training but panic in the final weeks and sabotage their race by overtraining. Instead, remind yourself that resting now is part of training. If you feel great, save it for race day. Don’t burn that energy in an unnecessary hard run. Avoid “panic long runs” or surprise hard races late in the taper.

Cutting Intensity Completely

On the flip side, don’t mistake tapering for stopping hard workouts entirely. Some runners assume they should do only slow, easy runs (or no running at all) for several weeks. While most of your taper running is easy, dropping all intensity can leave you feeling flat and off-rhythm.

As discussed, maintaining a bit of faster running (tempo miles, marathon-pace efforts, strides) helps preserve your fitness and leg turnover. Completely cutting out intensity for 3 weeks could lead to detraining. Your body might “forget” the feel of faster paces.

Avoid this by scheduling at least one small dose of quality running each week of the taper, such as a short goal-pace run or some strides. These should be far shorter than your normal workouts, so they won’t re-fatigue you, but they’ll keep your neuromuscular system sharp. Come race morning, your legs will remember what to do.

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Changing Your Routine Drastically

Yes, your mileage is dropping, but that doesn’t mean everything about your training should change. Don’t suddenly stop running altogether (unless you have an injury). Going from running 5-6 days a week to zero will likely make you feel sluggish and anxious.

Likewise, don’t start doing extra cross-training or new exercises to fill the void; you could unintentionally tire out or strain muscles that were otherwise fine. Keep to your normal schedule of run days versus rest days, just with less distance. If you normally run every weekday, you might still run most weekdays, just shorter. If you usually rest on Fridays, keep resting on Fridays.

The taper period is not the time to experiment with new training stimuli. Your body and mind crave consistency, so make the taper a scaled-down version of what you’ve already been doing. For example, if you suddenly decide to replace your missing miles with long cycling sessions or intensive yoga classes, you might introduce new fatigue or soreness. When in doubt, do less and stick to familiar activities.

Psychological Warfare

The mental side of tapering can be tough. Many runners feel phantom aches, mood swings, or doubts as the race nears and training load decreases. You might feel “bloated” or sluggish from the extra rest, and each easy run may feel oddly difficult (a common paradox of the taper).

Know that this is normal. Your body is rebounding and your mind is hyper-attuned to every sensation. Fight the urge to interpret these feelings as losing fitness. Remind yourself (with evidence) that your aerobic capacity isn’t dropping and that feeling a bit restless is actually a good sign that you’re charging up energy.

To cope, channel your nervous energy into race planning: strategise your pacing, lay out your gear, and focus on nutrition and sleep. Some runners get the “taper crazies” and end up making poor decisions, like an impromptu hard 15 km run because they felt too energetic. Don’t let that be you. Stick to your taper schedule like it’s part of your training plan (because it is). If you need to burn off nerves, do a gentle shakeout run or other relaxing activity rather than unplanned miles.

Not Adjusting Diet and Recovery Habits

While training load decreases, it’s important to maintain good nutrition and recovery practices. A mistake would be slashing your calorie intake drastically because you’re running less. Your body still needs plenty of nutrients to rebuild muscle and top up glycogen during taper.

Likewise, continue to prioritise sleep and hydration. Think of the taper as part of your recovery phase. Under-eating or skimping on rest now will undermine the very recovery you’re trying to achieve. Treat your body kindly during the taper: nutritious food, adequate protein for muscle repair, and perhaps a bit of extra stretching or massage to work out any kinks (but nothing too deep that could cause new soreness close to the race).

By avoiding diet fads or lifestyle stressors in these final weeks, you set the stage to feel your best on marathon day.

Embrace the Taper and Trust the Process

Tapering for a marathon is both an art and a science. It requires confidence to do less training when every fibre of your being might be telling you to do more. Trust the process and focus on the ultimate goal: arriving at the starting line fresh, healthy, and ready to crush your marathon!