Taper Hill & Tempo Sharpener

Taper Hill & Tempo Sharpener

Workout - Taper Hill & Tempo Sharpener

  • 10min @ 6'00''/km
  • 10min @ 5'00''/km
  • 2min rest
  • 4 lots of:
    • 3min @ 4'00''/km
    • 2min @ 5'15''/km
    • 1min rest
  • 8min @ 6'00''/km
Ready to start training?
If you already having the Pacing app, click try to import this workout:
Try in App Now
Don’t have the app? Copy the reference above,
to import the workout after you install it.
Download Pacing in the App Store Download Pacing in the Play Store

Intro: a recap of “A BROKEN RACE SHOE IN THE TAPER?! | Abingdon Marathon Training WEEK 10” from The FOD Runner. The video walks through practical marathon sessions; head to the full video for the rest.

Key points:

  • The taper starts in week 10. The focus is keeping fitness, not just cutting volume.
  • The main workout: a 15 km (about 9.3 mi) run at controlled half-marathon tempo, aiming for 5:40-5:30 min/mi.
  • On the trail, a speed session mixes tempo, recovery jogs, and short hill repeats to keep leg sharpness.
  • Hit your target distance, keep heart rate around 159 bpm to gauge effort, and use GPS to keep pacing honest.

Workout 1, 15 km (about 9.3 mi) at half-marathon effort:

  • Warm-up: 15 min easy.
  • 9 miles at 5:40-5:30 per mile. Start closer to 5:40 and aim to finish in the 5:20-5:30 range.
  • Around 159 bpm. Stay relaxed and close strong.

Workout 2, trail speed session (about 34 min total):

  • 10 min tempo at a steady push, just above half-marathon speed.
  • 2 min easy jog recovery.
  • 4 sets of:
    • 3 min hard (hill repeats if available)
    • 2 min moderate
    • 1 min easy jog recovery
  • Finish with an easy jog cool-down.

Closing note: run these this week and use the Pacing app to dial efforts for your current fitness. Adjust intervals based on the terrain you’re on.

References

Inspired by The FOD Runner

More Running Tips

Mastering the Marathon Taper: Proven Strategies to Sharpen Your Race and Keep the Blues at Bay

This collection of blog posts and videos dives deep into marathon tapering, offering concrete mileage reductions, interval‑based long runs, and gradual versus aggressive taper strategies to preserve fitness while maximizing recovery. It also highlights how to integrate mini‑workouts, track sessions, and post‑taper mental tactics, all of which can be fine‑tuned with a personalized pacing app that offers real‑time zone feedback, adaptive plans, and custom workout editing for a truly personalized taper experience.

Read More

From Podcast to Personal Pace: Turning Shoe Talk and Race Recaps into Your Own Training Blueprint

The Drop podcast series delivers deep dives into the latest shoe tech, elite athlete interviews, and race analyses, giving runners a wealth of actionable insights. By extracting the training cues, pacing strategies, and gear recommendations discussed, runners can build customized workouts that match their goals, and a smart pacing app can turn those insights into real‑time coaching, adaptive plans, and detailed post‑run analytics.

Read More

Mastering Marathon Training: Proven Workouts, Structured Plans, and Smart Tapering

These marathon training lessons break down the science behind long runs, four key workout types, weekly mileage balance, and taper strategies, offering actionable step‑by‑step plans and real‑world case studies. By applying the detailed pacing zones, adaptive workout generation, and real‑time audio coaching described in the Pacing app, runners can personalize each session, track intensity, and fine‑tune their race‑day strategy for measurable performance gains.

Read More

Ready to Transform Your Training?

Join our community of runners who are taking their training to the next level with precision workouts and detailed analytics.

Download Pacing in the App Store Download Pacing in the Play Store