The optimal taper

The challenge leading up to any important race is to find the optimal balance between training hard, yet still resting up enough to stand on the start-line fresh enough to give your best.

To give your best performance when it counts is the whole aim of training. All the miles and hard runs in the training diary count for nothing if you cannot produce your best on race day. If you under-perform, it is of little consolation that you ran "great" in training.

Producing the goods when it counts is all that matters. You can only afford to do a full taper before a few key races each year. If you race often and try to taper thoroughly for each race, you will have little time left for hard training.

So, some races you must just "train through." But for the important road racing events (and there are none more important in Malta than the marathon each February), you will want to pull out all the stops to achieve your best performance.

That is when you need a well-planned taper. One paper published in a sports science journal reviewed over 50 scientific studies on tapering to find out whether tapering actually improves performance.

Various studies found improvements in performance of between two and eight per cent when athletes taper before competition.

Most studies found an improvement of about 3 per cent, which translates to over five minutes if you are a three-hour marathoner or over.

But, what is the most effective way to cut back your training before an important race? Several studies concluded that the optimal length of taper is from seven days to three weeks. The optimal amount of time for you to taper depends on both the distance you will be racing and how hard you have been training.

Too short a taper will leave you tired on race day, while tapering for too long will eventually lead to a loss of fitness.

The best number of days to taper for the most popular race distances are: marathon - 19-22 days and half marathon - 11-14 days.

The scientific evidence indicates that the key to effective tapering is to substantially cut back your mileage, but to maintain some intensity in your training.

Guidelines for cutting back your mileage, based on both research and anecdotal evidence, are as follows:

A marathoner might reduce training mileage by 20 per cent three weeks before the race, by 40 per cent the following week, and by 60 per cent during race week itself.

Someone taking part in the half marathon should reduce training mileage by 30 per cent two weeks before the race, and by 50 per cent in the final week leading up to the race.

One or two days off completely from training in the final week can also help to freshen your legs and enable you to perform to your expectations on race day.

Don't forget that next Saturday is marathon registration day at the Metropole Hotel in Dingli Street, Sliema.

Closing date for entries is closed but if you have not sent in your entry form, do so immediately.