Tapering for the Philly Marathon: Avoid these 3 big mistakes

With a little over two weeks to go before the Philadelphia Marathon, many runners are salivating over the imminent decrease in mileage on their training plan. And since most training schedules last anywhere from 16-24 weeks, it's been a long road paved with early mornings, tired legs, and social sacrifices.

So it can be tempting to catch a case of "senioritis" (remember those last few months of high school?) and start to mentally check out of training after the last long run. I've observed (and admittedly made) a few common mistakes during this crucial period of training and the result leaves you feeling flat and lethargic on race day. Make sure none of the following mistakes apply to you this year:

Cutting Mileage Too Much, Too Soon
The body craves routine. It's important that you maintain your training rhythm so that racing is something that feels familiar. Race day is just another 'day at the office'. And you have to trust that by maintaining your training frequency, rather than loading up on rest days, you'll race well.

Unless you're running very high mileage, say, over 60 miles per week, you probably don't need a drawn out three-week taper. Many of my clients have found more success with a two-week taper, with most of the cutbacks happening on race week.

For example, if you've recently been averaging around 30 miles spread over four runs per week, simply cut each run short by 10-20 minutes in week 2. Then, during the week leading up to the marathon, run three times but each of those runs should be 20-30 minutes less than usual.

Reducing Intensity
Many runners erroneously take their foot off the gas, only running at an easy pace in an attempt to freshen up for the race. That may be fine if your goal is to finish the marathon; but if you've set your sights on a time goal, you'll likely feel best if you give your body a few reminders.

Just as you've been practicing race pace during your long runs, I recommend continuing to incorporate some additional race pace and faster-than race pace work in the middle of the week.  (Of course, if you haven't been doing this, don't add it now.)

For example, in the middle of a 40-60 minute run, alternate 1 minute at 5-10K pace with 1 minute at easy pace for 20 minutes. This type of session makes marathon pace feel easier while requiring very little in terms of recovery compared to a typical challenging interval session.

During race week, I often prescribe a short run of four miles with the last mile or two done at race pace to reinforce and ingrain the feeling of running the correct pace. Again, not a taxing session, but enough of a stimulus to keep the body in race mode and, as we'll talk about next week, knowing your pace is absolutely critical to running a successful marathon.

Fixating on the Race
I think this one often goes unmentioned, but is pretty important in my experience. With training occupying less of your time, your mind can start to play tricks on you. Wait, is that a muscle strain? Why does my foot hurt? What if I have to go to the bathroom during the race? I just sneezed. AM I GETTING SICK?

Dude, you're fine. Just stop fixating on the race right now. Instead, schedule a few diversions. Catch up with a friend or family member you've been neglecting. Go to the movies. Play with your kids in the park. Clean out that basement before it takes over your house. Catch my drift?

As you peak for the race, your body needs to absorb the past few months of hard work. Now isn't the time to build fitness with high intensity intervals or squeezing in one more long grueling tempo run. Let your body and mind relax and keep the stress to a minimum.

To sum up, this is a time to maintain fitness while improving race readiness. The good news is that fitness is easier to maintain, than it is to build. So, follow the guidelines above and show up on the starting line ready to GO!

John Goldthorp is the founder of Fix Your Run, a specialized fitness coaching business that helps runners become faster and less prone to injury. Recently named "Philly's Best Running Coach" by Philadelphia Magazine, he currently works with clients at Optimal Sport 1315 in Center City and leads weekly group speed training sessions at PhillySurgeRunning.com.

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