that’s runnable

The 45th Edition

Suddenly, every niggle is a “career-ending injury”, every slow run is a sign the race will be a disaster, and the only cure is Googling “can I lose fitness in 3 days?”

Let’s talk about how you can chill out and not lose your mind during a taper.

Something to Think About 💭

If you trained hard and showed up consistently, then tapering isn’t something you have to endure, it’s your reward before the big day.

Something to Ask Yourself ❓

What would change if you treated this time as part of the training plan rather than a threat to it?

Article of the Week 📄

This is a nice article on tapering from Ultra-X

Track of the Week 🎶

I’m not even sorry that its Bon Iver two weeks in a row. This is such a beautiful song to have in your head!!

this week’s Track of the Week is:

There’s a Rhythm by Bon Iver (2025)

By the way, if you didn’t know, I put all these tracks in a Spotify playlist…

Personal Lesson

I used to treat tapering like I was holding my breath before the race. It felt restrictive. My legs felt weird, I had phantom aches, and I couldn’t stop wondering if I should squeeze in just one more session, you know… just to “stay sharp.” In reality, I was just uncomfortable with the stillness. When you’re used to grinding, resting feels suspicious. Like you’re getting away with something.

Eventually, after a fair few races, I realised I wasn’t going to gain fitness at this stage and just wanted to make sure my body was fully recovered. Instead of catastrophising every twinge, I’ve started to lean into it. I sleep more. I eat more. I chill more. I realise now tapering isn’t a pause in training, it is training.

Over the years, I’ve actually learnt to really enjoy the taper. It’s a time where I can glide a bit more, take it easy, sleep more, eat more, move less… I mean, most people would be pretty chuffed to say that they are intentionally doing less because it’s actually the best thing to do. I realised the only reason I was “going crazy” was becauseI was taking everything too seriously.

Running – Life’s Metaphor

Sometimes the best thing you can do is stop pushing. Growth doesn’t just come from effort, it comes from recovery. Tapering teaches you that rest isn’t weakness. It’s strategy.

Final Thoughts

Taper madness isn’t a real condition. It’s just your ego having withdrawals from being productive. You’re not losing fitness, you’re just losing the illusion that constant effort equals constant improvement.

You’ve done the work. It’s in the bank. Running more now won’t magically make you faster. If anything, it’ll just make you more tired when it counts. So eat the carbs. Take the naps. Let your muscles rebuild and your mind settle.

The most elite runners in the world don’t skip the taper. They treat it like a sacred part of their plan. If they can chill, so can you.

So if you’re currently pacing around the house, resisting the urge to “just go for a quick 10K” when you should have a day off,  this is your sign: sit down. Put your feet up. Have a snack. You’re not being lazy. You’re being smart. And that’s the best thing you can be before a race.

Thanks again for reading and subscribing.

Run the runnable, and keep showing up for yourself!

Tommy 🙂