Is it normal to feel tired, sluggish, or anxious during marathon taper? Yes, and these are some of the most common marathon taper side effects. While tapering is designed to help your body recover and perform at its best, it often comes with unexpected physical and mental changes.
During my last marathon taper I felt like a completely different person. I couldn’t sleep at night so I was tired all day. My heart rate was higher, my HRV was lower, and I was super anxious. My runs felt bad too.
While everything ended up coming together on race day (for the most part) I’ve learned to ignore some of the taper symptoms and try to manage others (like the anxiety). Here’s what you need to know about these annoying taper side effects.
What is the marathon taper?
A marathon taper is the 2 or 3 weeks before a marathon when you intentionally reduce your training volume so your body can fully recover and perform at its best on race day. After 13-14 weeks of training, the taper allows you to repair muscle damage, restore glycogen stores, reduce injury risk, and feel fresher and stronger on race day.
Is it normal to feel worse during the taper?
Many runners feel restless or anxious during the taper. Some also feel sluggish, like they’ve lost fitness. It’s also common to have “taper tantrums” which are often phantom pains and stiffness caused by muscle repair, nervous system recovery, and anxiety as training volume drops before a race.
Common marathon taper side effects
These will vary from one person to another and even from one race to another. But know that they are all common and it doesn’t mean you have lost fitness or that your race won’t go well.
1. Heavy or “dead” legs
Your muscles are working hard to repair after many weeks of hard training. During the first week of the taper you are also coming off your peak week, and are recovering from that.
2. Fatigue or low energy
If you are used to running 75+ minutes every day and suddenly you drop down to 50 minutes of running, your body is going to react to that change. Your training rhythm has been disrupted and your body is adjusting.
3. Anxiety and irritability
Not only are you preparing for a big race, but you have more time to overthink everything. If you are someone who manages anxiety through running, as you are reducing your time running you may notice that you feel more anxious overall. And yes, we may get more irritable too due to these changes, so warn your family members as you prepare for the taper!
4. Phantom pains and niggles
For the most part niggles and phantom pains during the taper are nothing to worry about. They may be in part due to recovering from your peak training weeks. You may also be hyperaware of every little ache and niggle that you feel.
5. Restlessness or trouble sleeping
As your body’s training rythm is disrupted you may also have difficultly sleeping. You may just not be as tired, or the anxiety can play a part in this too.
6. Feeling like you’re losing fitness
This is all mental, and all the other taper issues play into this. Remember that you put in the training, its normal to feel worse during the taper, and if you stick to the plan you will be ready for your race.
Why tapering feels so strange
Your body is making a big shift from many weeks of hard training to suddenly running less and trying to recover. This usually means that you body is shifting to performance mode, which is exactly what we want to happen!
How to handle marathon taper side effects
For the most part we just need to accept the taper side effects, stick to the plan, and know that it will pay off on race day.
Stick to your plan
Don’t run more just because you feel like you are losing fitness. Also, don’t add in other workouts like extra cross training to make up for the time you are not running. The reduced mileage is intentional!
Keep some intensity
Use shorter workouts to stay sharp. This may mean a shorter workout with a few miles at marathon pace broken into shorter intervals than what you were doing during your peak weeks.
Focus on sleep and nutrition
The goal is to recover well, so do what you can to sleep well and continue eating enough to allow your body to prepare for race day.
Manage anxiety
While it’s normal to feel anxious leading up to a race, there are some things you can do to help manage your anxiety. Try journaling, meditating, or deep breathing to help calm your mind and settle your nervous system.
Limit overthinking
Again- just stick to the plan. Try not to google every little thing you notice during the taper. Know that there are many different ways that runners feel during the taper and it doesn’t mean you will have a bad race. Allow your body to recover and know that it will help you prepare for race day.
What NOT to do during the taper
Don’t try to cram in extra training or do anything new, like a different fitness class. Likewise, don’t completely stop running either. Try to avoid overanalyzing everything and just focus on what you can control.
When to be concerned
It is important to be aware of any serious injuries or illnesses. If you have pain that gets worse as you run or is painful throughout the day, its important to get it checked out. Also, if you are truly sick, take some rest and see a doctor.
Final thoughts on side effects of the marathon taper
Now it’s time for the Runners’ Roundup! Link up your running and fitness posts below! Join myself, Coach Debbie Runs, Confessions of a Mother Runner and Runs with Pugs to post your favorite running tips, experiences, race and training recaps, workouts, gear, and coaching ideas.
How do you usually feel during the marathon taper?
Have you ever experienced any of these marathon taper side effects?
You may also like:
The Top East Coast Marathons to Run This Fall
The Ultimate Guide to Preparing for a Long Run (Fueling, Gear & Mindset)
How to Use the Treadmill to Improve Race Performance
Feeling worse during marathon taper? You’re not alone. Learn the most common marathon taper side effects, like heavy legs, fatigue, anxiety, and “taper madness’, and why they’re actually a normal part of race prep.
I always felt so edgy and unmoored during taper. It was never my favorite and I was always so terrible about doing it.
These are great ways to solve the taper side effects!