Will doing nothing or another sport help my 5k taper?
A study by Joe Houmard in the early 1990s had 3 equivalent groups of runners who were then tapered in a controlled manner, the groups were as follows:
- Trained as normal
- Cut volume by c70% but added higher intensity work
- Cut volume by c70% but added higher intensity work AND transferred ALL training to a stationary bike
EVERYONE in group 2 improved their 5k control times. On average by 30 seconds.
The other groups failed to get better.
Conclusion
- Taper
- Incorporate speed in taper
- Taper using the sport you have trained for.
Last Updated on 5 November 2015 by the5krunner
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tfk is the founder and author of the5krunner, an independent endurance sports technology publication. With 20 years of hands-on testing of GPS watches and wearables, and competing in triathlons at an international age-group level, tfk provides in-depth expert analysis of fitness technology for serious athletes and endurance sport competitors.
