Tapering for London Marathon - Week 1

You've trained. You've experimented with foods and gels. You've completed your short runs, long runs and runs for time. But now the final phase before the London Marathon kicks in.

We're talking about tapering.

During this three part blog, we are going to countdown the weeks with you and give you our top tips for making it through one of the hardest parts of training.

Week 1

With three weeks to go until you line up, it is recommended that you only reduce your mileage during this week by 10-20%. If you find you normally run a 60 mile week, drop it to 54 or 48 miles.

You can undo all of your training if you rest too much. A small reduction will prepare your body for recovery but won't let you become sluggish and tired.

This week is also when you should run your last long run, be that 20 miles or 26 miles. The day after your longest run during this week is when your taper starts.

When you are out on runs, try to avoid hills or speed running because you risk injuring yourself.

Keep an eye on your protein intake. It's really going to help your tissue recover. Not a meat eater? Eggs, soy products and dairy are just as good.

Look after your immune system to avoid picking up a cold or even worse, the flu! Eat plenty of vegetables and fruit to up your vitamin C.

That's it for week 1. Come back next week to find out how to get through week 2.