In the final few weeks before a marathon you are wanting to conserve energy. Build up reserves and avoid feeling depleted ahead of race day. Strength training, just like your running training, will use energy and build fatigue so we taper down our training to allow our body to recover and freshen up before race day. BUT we don't want to remove everything as this can lead to the body feeling flat and lethargic. Here we focus on how to adapt your strength training in the taper period.

If you are reading this, you are likely doing 1-3x strength sessions a week. This will be a key part of your routine and when the taper starts, it can feel a bit daunting shaking this up and doing less. With your strength training, it doesn't all need to go but it is a good idea to remove all heavy lifting (e.g. squats, deadlifts, hip thrusts) two weeks before race day. Lifting heavier weights will cause the most fatigue whereas core work and body weight exercises, that require less resistance and strain, are fine to continue. Keep going with any injury preventative work but don't incorporate anything new. New exercises are more likely to give you DOMS (delayed onset muscle soreness).

Don't panic! You won't lose all the hard work you've put in by race day, but you will have allowed your muscles to recover so you can carry your strength gains into the race with fresh legs and feeling strong. Strength protects you against injury but if you've been consistent then the strength gains you've made, you will still carry this into the race, you won't suddenly lose all the strength you've built by missing a few sessions.

Removing any heavier lifts also eliminates risk. You are more likely to pull a muscle or injure a muscle in the gym and if your A race is fast approaching, you want to avoid anything that is going to prevent you from getting there. Wrap yourself up in cottonwool!

So by removing any heavy lifting, we are eliminating the risk of injury, reducing our fatigue and we won't lose any of the strength gains we have already made. Great!

In the final five days before your race, skip any visits to the gym. Use the extra time to rest, think about your race plan and organise your kit and fuelling. Light stretching and mobility work at home is ok but it is now time to conserve your energy, fuel and hydrate well, sleep plenty and rest up! What you do in the final week, will determine your energy levels and how fresh you feel on the day of your marathon.