Craftsbury Marathon Training Plan: The Taper

It’s Marathon Monday again, which means that we’re bringing you another race related blog, this time focused on tapering! It’s only five days from the Craftsbury Marathon, and while training is important, at this point one thing you can do to significantly improve your performance is rest. Going into a big event well rested with a bit of speed can be the magic ticket to feeling good in that race.

In general, you want to lower your total volume in the week before a big race so that you’ll feel fresh come race day. Adjust this volume depending on how much training you did the week before, and how you feel energy wise on a day to day basis. Make sure to keep some intensity in your plan, as you want to feel rested, but not flat!

Try this Marathon race week plan from Green Racing Project ski coach Pepa Miloucheva:
Monday: OFF
Tuesday: Easy distance with accelerations (60-90 min total)
Wednesday: 30-40 min of speedplay (L2-L3). Speedplay is similar to natural intervals in that you will pick up the pace to Level 3 on the uphills, and then relax to Level 2 on the flats and downhills. Do a short L1 warm-up and cool-down before and after.
Thursday: Easy distance
Friday: Easy day- this could be 30 min of skiing/testing skis/or even a full day off
Saturday: Marathon Race day!
Sunday: Go for a nice ski, or enjoy the company of your recliner for the day. But you’ll feel better if you’re able to get out and move around a bit, even if it’s just a walk.