How to Use Race-Week Taper Planner
The Race-Week Taper Planner calculates how much to reduce training volume in the final days before a race while keeping intensity up to preserve fitness. Enter your peak training load and race distance; the tool returns a recommended race-week total volume and a day-by-day breakdown showing where the biggest cuts should fall.
What It Does
Use the calculator with intent
The Race-Week Taper Planner calculates how much to reduce training volume in the final days before a race while keeping intensity up to preserve fitness. Enter your peak training load and race distance; the tool returns a recommended race-week total volume and a day-by-day breakdown showing where the biggest cuts should fall.
Athletes, coaches, and AI agents who need a quick, reproducible answer with named limitations rather than a generic estimate.
Interpreting Results
The hero number is your recommended total volume for race week, typically expressed as a percentage of peak training load. Check the secondary stats for day-by-day or phase-level breakdowns — taper weeks involve keeping intensity up while dropping volume, so a plan that cuts both is miscalibrated. The two or three days immediately before the race should show near-zero fatigue-building work.
Input Steps
Field by field
- 1
Enter inputs
Enter your values using the sliders and steppers. Defaults represent a reasonable midpoint.
- 2
Read outputs
Read the hero number first. Secondary stats provide context and ranges.
- 3
Follow
Follow the methodology link for formulas, coefficients, and citations.
- 4
Adjust parameters
Adjust each input one at a time to see how the hero number responds.
Run the taper with your typical peak weekly mileage, then with 20% less — if the recommended final-week volume barely changes, the taper formula is more sensitive to race distance than training load, and you can trust the output for planning.
Common Scenarios
Use realistic starting points
FAQ
Questions people ask next
The short answers readers usually want after the first pass.