10k Training: Tapering & Final Race Week Preparation Training Tips

Well, well, well! Look who’s nearly at the finish line. Not literally, obviously, if you’re at the finish line now, something’s gone terribly wrong.

You’ve trained. You’ve suffered. You’ve questioned your life choices. And now, in the week leading up to race day, it’s time to stop acting like an overexcited labrador and actually rest, also known as tapering.

For some runners, tapering is a dream come true. "You mean I get to run less and still improve? Fantastic."

For others, it’s absolute torture. "If I don’t run at least 10k today, I’ll forget how to move."

Either way, it’s necessary. So, let’s talk about reducing mileage without losing fitness, fuelling your body properly, and getting through the final week without losing your mind.

Tapering is the art of running less without panicking that you’re suddenly unfit.

For months, you’ve been training like a beast, and now you’re expected to cut your mileage and do almost nothing? It feels weird. It feels wrong. It feels like cheating.

But it works. Your body needs time to recover before race day, so when you step up to that start line, you’re feeling fresh, not half-dead.

✔ Reduce mileage, not intensity. You’ll run less, but the runs you do should still be at race pace. No need to suddenly start jogging like you’re out for a leisurely Sunday stroll.
✔ No last-minute "panic training." That extra long run you’re thinking about? Don’t. You won’t magically get fitter in a week, but you can ruin your legs before race day.
✔ Keep moving, but don’t overdo it. Think short, sharp runs. No need to run until you see Jesus.

💡 Pro Tip: If you feel restless and anxious, congratulations, you’re tapering correctly. Trust the process and try not to sign up for another race just to burn off nervous energy.

Now is not the time to suddenly go on a weird diet, try experimental carb-loading strategies, or eat something that may or may not cause "digestive emergencies" on the course.

The "carb-loading" phase is essentially an excuse to eat pasta like you’re training for the Italian Olympics. But let’s be clear:
❌ Carb-loading doesn’t mean eating like a ferritt in a bin for a week.
✔ It just means shifting your meals to be more carb-focused in the 2-3 days before the race.

Good carb sources: Pasta, rice, potatoes, oats, bread.
Bad carb sources: 12 doughnuts and a litre of beer (sorry).

💡 Pro Tip: The best way to know you’re hydrated? Your pee should be pale yellow. Too dark? Drink more water. Clear? Ease up before you turn into a human fountain.

With just days to go, everything becomes a potential disaster. Suddenly:
❌ That tiny ache in your foot is DEFINITELY a career-ending injury.
❌ You’re convinced you’re getting a cold.
❌ You start questioning whether you actually know how to run at all.

Relax. This is just pre-race nerves lying to you.

✔ Trust your training. You’ve done the work. The fitness is there. Stop doubting yourself.
✔ Sort your race kit in advance. Lay it out. Double-check it. Do NOT wake up on race morning realising you’ve only got one sock.
✔ Break in NOTHING new. No new shoes. No new gear. No new food. This is not the time for experimentation.
✔ Know the race logistics. Where’s the start line? How are you getting there? Do you need a last-minute sprint just to make it on time? (Hopefully not.)

💡 Pro Tip: If you feel sluggish and slow during taper week, that’s normal. It’s just your body stockpiling energy like a bear before hibernation.

If you:
✅ Taper properly without panic-training,
✅ Carb-load like an intelligent human (not a binge-eating gremlin),
✅ Hydrate without overdoing it,
✅ Don’t try anything new on race week,

…then you’ll arrive at the start line feeling fresh, fast, and ready to smash it.

Or, you can ignore all of this, run an extra 20K this week, eat a dodgy curry the night before, and see what happens. (Spoiler: It won’t be good.)

See you next Monday for "Final Countdown: What to Do the Day Before the Fingal 10k Race Day" or as I like to call it, "How to Avoid Turning Your Months of Training into a Spectacular 10K Flop."