Taper Calculator

Week-by-week distance targets for your pre-race taper, from your peak weekly distance.

PEAK WEEKLY MILEAGE

UNIT

TAPER PROFILE

3-week taper

About 80%, 60% and 40% of peak volume: a gradual cut that starts three weeks out.

2-week taper

About 70% then 45% of peak volume: for shorter build cycles or a late start.

Enter your peak weekly distance to see the taper.

Keep workout intensity during the taper and cut only volume: key workouts (tempo, marathon-pace segments) stay in, just shorter. The race-week figure leaves out the race itself. Evidence: a progressive cut with intensity kept (Mujika and Padilla, 2003) and about two weeks with volume down 41-60% (Bosquet et al., 2007 meta-analysis).