Monday, September 20, 2010

Tapering The Science

From Running Times online

The Peaking Problem

Tapering shouldn't be a one-size-fits-all conclusion to training

By Steve Magness

As featured in the Web Only issue of Running Times Magazine

After six months of incredibly hard work, one would think the last week or so leading up to that big race you’ve been aiming for would be relatively straightforward. The go-to quote for coaches in this situation, “The hay is in the barn,” implies that it doesn’t take a rocket scientist to figure out what to do. However, nothing gives coaches or runners more fright than planning the last bit of training affectionately known as the taper. The stories of sub-par races with the body being completely out of whack on race day, despite great training for several months, are endless. So why does this small segment of training matter so much and cause all this trouble?

The answer to our peaking troubles should be fairly straightforward if we look at what the best coaches and the relevant scientific research recommend. As you may already know, it turns out that the recommendations by so-called experts only serve to muddle the picture even more.

Read on here.

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