Why You Feel TERRIBLE During Taper Week (And Why That’s Good)
In my years of coaching runners, I've found that many tend to think that the taper is when things should start feeling easy. However, in reality, it’s when everything starts to feel wrong. Your legs feel heavy, your fitness suddenly feels VERY questionable, small aches feel like catastrophic injuries, and your confidence starts to spiral right before race day.
What I wish these runners would realize is that this is not a sign that something is going wrong. It’s a predictable physiological and neurological response to reducing training load after weeks or months of consistent stress. In this video, I wanted to break down what’s actually happening during the taper, from glycogen supercompensation and neuromuscular restoration to immune system recovery, and why these adaptations are essential for peak race performance.
I also walk through what I call “taper madness,” the psychological side of the taper that almost every runner experiences but very few understand. We get into why your brain starts scanning for problems, why your routine disruption creates anxiety, and how to reframe those thoughts so you don’t sabotage your race before it even starts. From there, I outline a practical taper structure, how to reduce volume while maintaining intensity, and the key behaviours during race week that actually impact performance, including sleep, nutrition, movement, and managing your mental environment.
This is the same framework I use with athletes across all levels to help them arrive at the start line confident, prepared, and ready to execute. If you’ve ever felt worse during your taper than you did in peak training, you’re not alone. You’re right on track.
Happy Training!
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Chapters:
00:00 - Understanding the Taper: A Runner's Journey
03:01 - Physiological Adaptations During Tapering
06:07 - Navigating Taper Madness: The Mental Challenge
09:07 - Practical Tapering Strategies for Race Week
11:47 - Final Thoughts: Trusting the Process
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