Full and half marathon tapering tips

With half and full marathon season now in full swing here are 5 useful tips to help you prepare and complete effective marathon tapering in the 7-10 days before your race.

1) Fuel - increase your carb intake but don’t change your diet dramatically! Trying to ram pasta down your neck every second of the day will leave you feeling bloated and sluggish.

2) Sleep - Try and get consistent good quality sleep over the week before the race.

3) Mobility - Increase your mobility sessions but don’t introduce something you’ve never done before. If you are used to foam rolling do it a little more regularly. If you have sports massages a good time is 10 days pre race.

4) Light activity - Don’t go cold turkey and stop exercising completely 2-3 x 30 minute sessions of light walking, cycling or swimming in the week before are a good idea.

5) Muscle activation - A light body weight circuit a couple of times the week before a race will help keep muscle tone. Squats, step ups, lunges all use the muscle you will need for your run. But again you muse be used to these movements.