Master your marathon taper: Mercy’s resilience tips for runners

Are you training for a marathon, half-marathon or an endurance running event and looking for tried and trusted tapering tips and techniques?

Meet Mercy, our ESG Executive, qualified PT, and running enthusiast. Mercy has been training and running for over 9 years. She has completed the Brighton Marathon and is currently preparing for the London Marathon. Mercy is also training to run the Sydney Marathon, where she will be raising money for our incredible charity partner, Love Mercy. 

Here, she shares her approach to race recovery, alongside her perspective on why getting the taper right matters in the last few weeks of marathon training.

Marathon tapering: What it is and why it matters

As runners approach race day, many will be entering the ‘taper’ phase. This is where overall training volume is reduced in the weeks leading up to the marathon, allowing the body to recover from accumulated fatigue and support performance. 

Tapering is an essential phase of marathon preparation, yet it is often overlooked or underestimated. It can be tempting to keep pushing, but understanding the purpose of the taper can help reframe it as part of the work. 

For months, you have been putting your body through its paces. Fatigue builds, niggles may appear, and you have put in the effort to get your cardiovascular fitness to its peak.

The taper creates space for repair. Muscle fibres begin to recover from the repeated stress of training, allowing your body to restore itself ahead of marathon day.

Avoiding runners wall: How running less may help you to achieve more 

Before you begin your taper, you will more than likely be running on fatigued legs. Your body is tired, making those ‘marathon pace’ effort blocks feel like a struggle. This is exactly why the taper is so crucial. 

By replenishing the glycogen that you have been using for the past few months during training, tapering means you will have more energy to draw from during that 42.2km, helping you to run with endurance and give your absolute best.

You may have heard of the dreaded ‘wall’, which many people hit in the last 10km on race day. While this is very common, it doesn’t have to be inevitable. With considered preparation and a well-executed taper, the final kilometres can feel more manageable and controlled.

From fatigue to PB: When to start your marathon taper 

Now that you understand the benefits of tapering, you may be wondering - when is the best time to begin reducing your training intensity?

The ‘ideal’ taper duration will vary from person to person. Some runners can train closer to race day, while others may need three, maybe even four weeks of gradually reducing their training load.

It all depends on how conditioned you are, as well as how you feel in terms of both physical and psychological fatigue.

Taper dos and don’ts: 6 tips for mastering your taper

Of course, running less is not the only way to prepare for race day. Recovery and preparation come in several different forms, and all of them play an important role. 

These include sleep, nutrition, hydration, and physical recovery practices such as heat exposure or soft tissue work.

Do prioritise sleep

It is during sleep that your body adapts and becomes stronger, making those 8-hours rest a marathon runner’s non-negotiable.  

While in deep sleep, your body produces growth hormone (GH), which is crucial for muscle repair, tissue regeneration, immune function and collagen synthesis. REM sleep supports cognitive processes such as coordination, reaction time and emotional regulation - all key factors in pacing, performance and good decision-making in runners.

Sleep disruption or poor-quality sleep can negatively impact the release of growth hormone, increase cortisol, delay recovery and increase injury risk. This really reinforces how important it is to aim for  7-9 hours of rest a night. 

Your evening rest rituals can help you here. Reducing blue light exposure in the hours before bed, avoiding eating too late, and breathing exercises alongside a grounding cup of Cacao + Collagen or True Nightcap can help settle the nervous system and prepare your body for peaceful sleep.

Do soak, steam and stretch

Long runs place a lot of stress on your system, so finding ways to unwind afterwards is important. 

Epsom salt baths can help relax both the body and mind. As someone who used to hate the idea of sitting in a bath for half an hour… that perspective definitely changes when you are 20km into a 32km run, especially when training through the winter. Suddenly, that bath starts looking very appealing.

Saunas are another useful recovery tool. Heat exposure may help improve circulation, ease muscle tension and promote relaxation. If you have access to one, it can be a valuable addition to your routine.

While lots of runners use foam rollers as part of their marathon training recovery rituals, the evidence for these is mixed. Some studies suggest the benefits are modest, but many runners find it helps reduce muscle tightness and improve how their legs feel post-run. I say, if it helps you feel looser and more relaxed, it may still be worthwhile.

Do support your nutrition

What you put into your body will shape what you get out of it. Fuelling marathon training looks very different from everyday nutrition, and both what you eat and when you eat it matter. Day to day, prioritise whole foods: protein for muscle repair, carbohydrates to fuel training, fats for hormonal health and an additional energy source, and fibre for gut health and blood sugar regulation.

What to eat before your marathon: Around three days leading up to your marathon, increasing carbohydrate intake becomes important. Carbohydrates are your body’s preferred energy source during endurance exercise, so the aim is to saturate your muscle glycogen stores before the race and then continue fueling during the marathon with quick-releasing carbohydrates that are easy on the gut.

For the first two days, focus on getting plenty of complex carbohydrates like oats, brown rice and sweet potatoes. Then, the day before and the morning of the race, focus more on simple, easily digestible carbohydrates like white bread, pasta, rice and bananas, avoiding anything with high fat or high fibre. Easy additions are things like jam, honey, syrups and also fruit juices - they all provide that little extra sugar to up your glycogen stores for the run. 

By this point, you will likely have found which foods work well for you and, more importantly, which foods don’t - so avoid trying anything new this close to race day. 

Start fuelling earlier than you think. Waiting until you feel depleted can make it harder to recover energy levels, so aim to stay consistent throughout. You want to aim for around 60g of carbohydrates an hour, so fuelling every 25-30 minutes with a gel or a handful of sweets, whatever works for you, should keep you on top of this goal.

Don’t forget supplements

Supplementation goes hand-in-hand with nutrition and may also support marathon recovery and performance. 

As someone who trains regularly and is about to enter a marathon taper,  I also find it helpful to have a daily ritual that grounds me and gives me the confidence that I am supporting my body with the nutrients it needs.

My marathon training supplement staples are True Magnesium+, True Creatine+ and True Hydration. 

Essential for recovery, Magnesium plays a role in muscle relaxation and proper nerve function - ideal for runners who struggle with sleep or experience frequent muscle cramps. I take it daily, especially during marathon training.

I also take True Creatine + daily. Creatine helps replenish the energy systems used during high-intensity efforts and can support muscle recovery and strength adaptations from training. While endurance athletes don’t rely on creatine in the same way strength athletes do, it can still help with recovery and muscular resilience. 

To maintain hydration when I run, I use True Hydration sachets. Crafted with coconut water powder and key minerals, these help me to maintain fluid and electrolyte balance, which is important for preventing cramps and supporting muscle function during longer training sessions.

Do support your ligaments and muscles

Running and strength training create small tears in muscle fibres, which is how the body adapts and becomes stronger. Protein supports the repair process, as well as overall immune function, which is especially helpful during demanding training blocks when the last thing you want is a cold that knocks you out for two weeks. 

On any day I struggle to get enough protein through my diet, I top up with Brave Ancestral Protein. I also support my tendons, ligaments and connective tissues by taking True Collagen daily. 

Collagen plays a structural role in connective tissue, and some evidence suggests that collagen supplementation may support tendon and ligament health - something that is especially relevant for runners. 

Don’t forget remember your why

The marathon itself is a mental game just as much as a physical one. Mindset plays a massive role when it comes to longer runs, and training can sometimes feel overwhelming.

When fatigue really starts to set in, it may seem difficult, but it helps to return to your “why”.  Whether it’s for a personal goal, a cause you care about, or simply the desire to challenge yourself, holding onto that reason can provide perspective when things feel difficult. 

Whatever your reason is, hold onto it. Focus on that “why” when things start to get tough. I have seen people write it on their arms so they can keep looking at it for inspiration. If you think you might struggle to stay mentally strong, that might be something worth trying.

Try to keep a positive perspective: what a privilege it is to be able to run this distance, to be supported by such an incredible crowd, and to celebrate such a huge achievement. It might not feel like it at the moment - but it will be over before you know it… I promise.

Don’t leave your taper to the last minute

What matters most is that you recognise that marathon recovery begins before you reach the start line. Going into a race without allowing your body to properly recover beforehand will likely lead to poorer performance and a much greater risk of injury in the latter stages of the race.

Final thoughts: 

Take your taper seriously - don’t be tempted by an extra-long run or a last minute gym session. At this stage, you are unlikely to gain additional fitness this close to race day, but you may increase your risk of injury.

Start your recovery strategy now.

Prioritise sleep.

Increase your carbohydrate intake in the three days leading up to race day.

Support your recovery with adequate protein, proper hydration and (if it works for you) supplementation.

Remember your “why” and keep it in mind when the going gets tough.

The hardest part of running a marathon is often just getting to the start line. So if you are reading this as someone preparing for a race, well done. Don’t let the negative thoughts creep in. And remember: you can do hard things.

Now go and smash it.