Managing Taper Anxiety

Taper always sounds nice: a much-needed break for your body after months of hard work. However, we often don’t anticipate the mental challenges that come with it. 

We are reliant on our consistent running routine to cope with any external stressors. When we suddenly back down from a high-mileage, high-intensity training routine it doesn’t just have a physical impact, but a mental one as well. Routines provide structure and a sense of control—when that is taken away, our stress is exacerbated. So, it’s not surprising that the abrupt shift in training combined with pre-race nerves results in increased anxiety. 

While tapering may throw off your usual routine, you can still adjust to a new one. Modify your regular routine to work for taper week. This can help you maintain a sense of control and prevent the anxiety-inducing excess time. Plan out your weeks incorporating some of these taper weeks tips.

Here are seven ways to get through taper weeks.

1.Spend some time outside.

Did you know that nature has been proven to have promote mental restoration and positive emotions? The positive effects don’t stop at mental health. Hospital patients with a view of trees (rather than brick walls) have been shown to recover faster. Taper week reduces the amount of time spent outside, so regain this time by spending some time relaxing outside. 

2.Read a book.

Taper week often give your mind too much time to wander and worry about your upcoming race. Try distracting yourself from these fears by reading a book. Bonus points if you choose one that motives you for race day. This can also be a great way to spend some time outside.

3.Work on your race-day playlist.

All this extra free time is the perfect opportunity to listen to music and build up your race day playlist. Whether you listen to music during your race, or just want the perfect pre-race playlist, this is your chance to make it. Taper week often makes athletes feel a loss of control since they are no longer actively training for their competition. Making a playlist is a way to actively prepare for your race while still giving your body time to rest.

4.Write out your thoughts.

While distractions can be helpful, avoiding your race anxiety altogether isn’t necessary the best solution. Give yourself some time to write out how you are feeling about your training, race, and anything else. This will help you process these emotions so your mind can stop fixating on them. Additionally, these entries could be helpful to come back to after your race so you can reflect and better prepare for the next one.

5.Visualize the race.

It might sound a little silly, but visualizing yourself overcoming a challenge can actually help you do it. In Bravey, Olympian Alexi Pappas describes how she uses visualization to manage pain while racing. “I’d visualize an Alexi-inside-my-head approaching a specific painful moment along the course and pushing through the rough patch with composure, strength, and even beauty,” Pappas wrote. While a decrease in training might make you feel a lack of control for race prep, it is the perfect time for mental preparation.

6.Try yoga.

As runners, we tend to prefer constant movement, so yoga often gets overlooked. However, yoga is perfect for taper week. Not only does it promote recovery, but many mental benefits come along with it too. Don’t go too extreme—stick to simple exercises and skip anything you are unsure about. This video provides some guidance for how runners can use yoga during taper week.

7.Know it will pay off.

You have put in the work already: now it is time to trust yourself and trust in the taper. Taper week can feel counter intuitive, but it is proven to reduce fatigue and soreness while maintaining peak fitness. Trust that you are already where you need to be. Taper week is just as important as your hard training weeks. Use this time to rest, recover, and mentally prepare for race day. 

Maddelynn Horn

BA Psychology (‘20), MA Digital Marketing and Data Anaylsis (‘22)