If you’re one of the many Subiaco Physiotherapy clients lining up for the Sydney Marathon on August 30, you’re about to enter one of the strangest phases of marathon training: the taper. And if the Perth Running Festival or the Melbourne Marathon on October 11 is your target instead, this same taper period is coming for you in a few weeks’ time too — so it’s worth bookmarking this one either way.
Taper week, or more accurately the final two to three weeks before race day, is when training volume drops and legs suddenly start to feel fresher than they have in months. For a lot of runners, that fresh feeling brings a dangerous temptation: to sneak in “just one more” hard session while there’s still time. A lot of people also find that they get a little bit antsy with the reduced volume in this time.
Here’s how our physios help Perth’s running community get through it in one piece.
Why Taper Week Feels Weird (and Risky)
After months of steadily building mileage, cutting your training load by 30–50% in the final weeks can feel counterintuitive. Your legs recover, your energy comes back, and suddenly you feel capable of running faster and further than the program calls for. That feeling is exactly the trap.
We’ve written before about training load error and why it often leads to running injuries – and the same principle applies in reverse during taper. A sudden change in load, even one that feels good, is still a change your tissues have to adapt to, with very little time left before race day to recover if something goes wrong.
Three Traps to Watch For This Taper
1. The “one more long run” temptation
Fitness built over 12–16 weeks doesn’t disappear in a fortnight of reduced running. But a poorly timed long run or hard session in the final two weeks can leave you carrying fatigue – or an injury – into race day. Trust the training you’ve already banked.
2. Trying something new right before race day
New shoes, new orthotics, an untested stretching routine, or a first-time deep tissue session – taper week is not the time to introduce any of it. If you’ve been considering a running gait review or want to explore whether dry needling might help a stubborn tight spot, that’s valuable work – just do it early enough in your program that your body has weeks, not days, to adapt. Our gait analysis service is best booked well before taper for exactly this reason.
3. Overthinking things
All too often, we read too much into little niggles in our body in this time. Very often these niggles will settle. The best thing to do to avoid overthinking things during taper is to go for a prescribed and easy run. If your symptoms worsen during the run, that might be time to get assessed by a physio. If your symptoms stay the same or get better, you’re probably in the clear.
A Physio-Approved Taper Checklist
- Cut volume, not necessarily intensity – short, sharp efforts keep your legs sharp without piling on fatigue
- Prioritise sleep over extra training
- Keep any strength sessions light and technical rather than heavy – taper is not the week to chase a new PB in the gym
- See a physio early if something feels “not quite right”, rather than waiting to see if it settles on its own
- Plan and document your race morning routine (breakfast, warm-up, kit) now, so there’s nothing new to think about on the day
What to Do If Something Feels Off This Week
If you notice sharp, one-sided pain, or pain that’s changing the way you’re running, it’s worth a quick check with one of our sports physiotherapists rather than hoping it resolves on its own.
In most cases, a niggle caught during taper needs nothing more than some hands-on treatment, a few targeted exercise rehabilitation drills, and a small, sensible adjustment to your final sessions – not a withdrawal from the race.
Race Week Basics: Sleep, Fuel and Headspace
Alongside managing training load, three simple habits make a real difference in the final week: banking good sleep (the nights two and three days out matter more than the night right before the race), keeping your usual diet with a gradual increase in carbohydrates rather than experimenting with anything new, and mentally rehearsing your race plan – pacing, fuelling stops, and what you’ll do if things get tough after the 30km mark.
Whether You’re Racing Sydney, Perth or Melbourne, We’re Behind You
Our team works with Perth runners all year round, from those training for their first fun run through to clients chasing marathon personal bests. If you want expert guidance built specifically around your race, our run coaching programs and small-group Run Strong classes are designed to keep you consistent and injury-free right through to race day, and beyond.
If you’ve got a niggle heading into your taper – for Sydney, Perth, Melbourne, or whatever’s next on your calendar – don’t wait it out. Book an appointment with our team and let’s make sure you get to the start line ready to run your best.
