Pre-Race Taper Tune-Up

Workout - Pre-Race Taper Tune-Up

• 15min @ 6'45''/km
• 4 lots of:
  • 3min @ 5'35''/km
  • 2min rest
• 10min @ 7'00''/km

Ready to start training?

If you already having the Pacing app, click try to import this workout:

Try in App Now

workout/prerace-taper-tuneup-4b4fefd9

Don’t have the app? Copy the reference above,
to import the workout after you install it.

The FOD Runner released a useful video on taper workouts. Here’s what you need to run this session this week.

Key points

• Tapering keeps a small amount of speed work while cutting volume significantly so you arrive sharp and recovered.
• The workout: 4 x 3-minute hard efforts with 2-minute easy jogs between (12 minutes of hard running total), done about five days before race day. For more on structured interval work, see Mastering Interval Training: Science-Backed Workouts and How a Smart App Can Personalize Them.
• The hard repeats run at relaxed 10K pace, around 5:30–5:40/km, with heart rate at or below marathon-pace zones. For setting target paces, see Mastering the 10K: Proven Training Plans, Pace Strategies, and How a Smart App Can Elevate Your Performance.
• The point is to keep legs turning over without taxing the system. Skip threshold and tempo work in the final week. This is different from the all-out efforts needed for raw speed gains in Mastering 5K Speed: Proven Interval Strategies to Cut Minutes off Your Time; here you’re prepping legs for race conditions.
• Fit one speed session into taper week. Everything else is light running or rest.

Workout example

1. Warm-up: 10–15 min easy.
2. 4 repeats:
   • 3 min hard at 10K race pace (~5:30–5:40/km).
   • 2 min easy jog or walk.
3. Cool-down: 10 min easy.

Total hard work: 12 minutes.

Practical tips

• Watch HR; keep it in the marathon-pace window to limit fatigue.
• If 3-minute repeats feel manageable, you can go up to 4 minutes, but cap total hard time at about 12 min.
• Pick a pace from your 10K fitness; aim for “comfortably hard,” not a flat-out sprint.
• Run this 5 days before race day. It’s your final speed stimulus.

Closing note

Try this taper workout. Adjust interval duration or pace to your training style, and set it up in the Pacing app.

References

• How To TAPER - My Favourite Taper Workout | FOD Runner - YouTube (YouTube Video)