Now that I've finished the last "something of substance" workout (10 mile tempo run), my taper begins. Before reading Hansons Marathon Method, I used to think the taper was just a way to diminish mileage to get your legs ready for the marathon, but there's more to it than just that.
The following is from the Hansons' book on what the taper really is. It's the best explanation of what goes on during the taper:
"Although we aren't generally in the business of telling folks to run less, cutting mileage and intensity is an integral part of marathon training when scheduled at the right times. When you reach the final stretch of training, your goal is to recover from all that work you put in, while also maintaining the improvements you made over the past few months. Reducing your training at this point, call tapering, is one of the keys to successful marathoning.
The mistake many runners make with their taper is that they cut everything from training, including mileage, workouts, intensity, and easy days. In the same way we instruct you not to add these components too soon, we also suggest not abruptly cutting them out. When runners subtract too much training too quickly, they often feel sluggish and even more fatigued than they did when they were in their peak training days. By cutting the training back in a gradual manner, you'll feel fresh and ready to race.
An SOS (something of substance) workout takes about 10 days to demonstrate the physiological improvements. That's right, it takes more than a week before you reap any benefits from a hard run. If you look at the training plans in the Hansons Marathons Method, you'll notice that the last SOS workout is done 10 days prior to the marathon, because after that point, SOS workouts will do nothing but make you tired for the big day. We also implement roughly a 55 percent reduction in overall volume the last 7 days of the program. Despite this, you will still run the same number of days per week, with only the daily mileage reduced. For a parallel, consider how you would feel if you were accustomed to drinking a couple of cups of coffee in the morning and then suddenly gave it up cold turkey. Your body probably will react with a dull headache. If instead you cut back to one cup, you limit the effects of withdrawal and usually end up feeling better. This is the same idea--reduce the stress while keeping the body happy and in its preestablished routine. By continuing to re fewer miles, but still running the same number of days, you reduce the number of variables that area adjusted. Instead of reducing frequency, volume, and intensity, you are tinkering only with the last two. The problem with many marathon training plans is that they cut too much out of the schedule and also prescribe a taper of 2-4 weeks, causing a runner to lose some of those hard-earned fitness gains. By subscribing to a 10-day taper period, you cut down on the risk of losing any of those gains, but still allow adequate time for rest rest and recovery.
From a physiological standpoint, the taper fits well with the principle of cumulative fatigue, as the training program does not allow you to completely recover util you reach those final 10 days. Over the last couple of months of the program, some of the good hormones, enzymes, and functions in your body have been suppressed through incomplete recovery, while the byproducts of fatigue have simultaneously been building. With reduced intensity and volume during the taper, these good functions flourish. Meanwhile, the byproducts are allowed to completely break down, and the body is left in a state of readiness for your best performance. We always warn runners not to underestimate the power of the taper. If you are worried about your ability to run a complete marathon at the pace of your tempo runs, consider this: The taper can elicit improvements of up to 3 percent. That is the difference between a 4:00 marathon and a 3:53 marathon. I don't know about you, but I'd be happy with a 7:00-minute improvement on my personal best."
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