• Skip to main content
  • Skip to primary sidebar
  • Skip to footer
  • About
  • Training Plans
  • Courses
  • Books
  • Videos
Alp Fitness logo

Alp Fitness

Alpine Endurance Training

Strava   TrainingPeaks   Instagram   YouTube

Peak & Taper

Adam Hodges | November 28, 2022

Guide to Creating Your Training Plan Overview of Training Phases Peak & Taper

Peaking for your top priority event is as much an art as a science. Different athletes respond in different ways to the final taper; and this is where experience and knowing yourself will allow you to craft an effective training schedule over the final weeks before your target race. As you set up your final taper, keep the following principles in mind.

The peak phase covers the last few or more weeks before your target race. The general approach is to decrease volume while maintaining or increasing intensity. The aim here is to sharpen and hone your fitness.

There are two common errors athletes often make when peaking for an event. Some athletes mistake the notion of “tapering” for simply taking time off to rest. Although rest is vital during this (and any) phase, remember that the vacation doesn’t start until after your race. For these athletes, too much time off and too little intensity leaves them feeling stale as they toe the starting line.

Other athletes get nervous about the reduction of volume during their taper and feel they need to do more to stay fit and be ready for race day. These are the ones that sneak in extra intervals or workouts. As a result, they do too much and reach the starting line feeling overly fatigued. Although maintaining some volume and intensity throughout peak training is important, remember that your fitness is already in the bank. This isn’t the time to continue making large deposits; it’s time to begin the withdrawals to buy the freshness and sharpness required for peak performance.

Avoiding these two extremes requires balancing your reduction of volume with your use of intensity. To avoid the problem of too many days off, keep the same frequency of workouts throughout the week; but reduce the duration of those workouts. This reduces the overall volume while allowing you to maintain your familiar routine.

When implementing intensity, reduce the number of intervals you do. Again, this reduces volume. You should leave the workout feeling less fatigued; and should feel yourself getting fresher and more eager to race as the days go on. This surplus of energy can be difficult to harness for some. The temptation is to do more intervals or go harder during a planned tempo or recovery workout. But this is where you need to reign yourself in and save it for the race. Trust in your training and trust in your plan. You will have time to fully test your mettle come race day.

As a general rule, the longer your event, the longer your taper. If you’re racing an ultramarathon, three weeks is a good length for a taper before your A-priority event. If you’re racing a half marathon, you may only need a week or two.

Previous Topic
Back to Lesson
Next Topic

About Adam Hodges

Adam Hodges, PhD, is a trail runner, mountain endurance athlete, and coach with credentials from the United Endurance Sports Coaching Academy (UESCA), USA Triathlon (USAT), and the American College of Sports Medicine (ACSM). In addition to coaching multisport athletes, he has coached high school cross country and track runners in California and masters swimmers in Colorado and California. As a USAT All-American triathlete, he has competed in the ITU World Triathlon Championships, the ITU World Duathlon Championships, and the Ironman World Championships in Hawaii. As a masters runner, he has won a series title in the XTERRA SoCal Trail Series. His current pursuits include trail running, climbing, mountaineering, skimo, and cross-country skiing. Check out his training plans and courses to help you prepare for you next adventure.

Primary Sidebar

One Percent for the Planet Business Member logo

Colorado Triathlete Multisport Club

InsideTracker logo

Footer

Alp Fitness
Training Plans | Courses | Books | Videos

Calculators | Glossary | Newsletter

Search by Category

Race Calendars

Ultra-Running | Running | Cross Country Skiing | SkiMo | Triathlon | XTERRA | IRONMAN | UTMB World Series
Alp Multisport Publications
About | Meet the Coach | Contact

Terms of Use | Ads | Privacy Policy

Alp Multisport LLC
Boulder, Colorado
© 2009–2023


One Percent for the Planet Business Member logo

Login
Accessing this course requires a login. Please enter your credentials below!

Lost Your Password?