Why I Don't Taper: Racing 12 Ultras a Year on A, B, and C Races

Some races are the goal. Others are the practice. This one is practice. Last week I ran one hundred thirteen miles before my sixth ultra this year alone. This week is ninety miles, and that number includes the race. It sounds like a lot on paper, but the mileage is not the story. Runners do not always need to taper, and I am not tapering for this one. This is not an A race.

I have my PRs and my A races. Then I have my B races and my C races. The B and C races are not tests. They are tools. They build strength. They build durability. They teach me to run on tired legs, recruit more muscle fibers, hold form when I am fatigued, train my gut, train my nutrition, and make decisions while I am tired. That is what racing every month actually trains.

Not the medal. Not the finish time. Not the place on the results page. Just the practice of being uncomfortable on schedule.

This is where the gut learns. This is where the pacing learns. This is where I find out what I actually do when the plan gets messy late in a race.

The Taper Belongs to the A Race

For an A race, the taper is where the body finally absorbs the training. The science here is real. Fitness lasts longer than fatigue, so you can cut training volume by 40 to 60 percent while keeping intensity and actually improve performance. The research puts the sweet spot around one to two weeks for most race distances.

Then the classic mistakes start. Sixty mile weeks down to barely running. All the intensity cut out. Eating everything in sight. Sleeping horribly because the nerves show up early. Then you wonder why you feel flat on race day. Doing less does not mean you need to eat less. I refuse to arrive flat.

A taper is not rest. It is absorption.

Recover, Rebuild, Sharpen, Race

Between races the month runs on four words. Recover. Rebuild. Sharpen. Race. The day after an ultra I am running an easy ten miles. The goal that morning is not fitness. It is movement. Then the volume comes right back, because the next start line is three weeks out.

And that brings me back to where this started. Some races are the goal. Others are the practice. This one is practice. But more than that, it is preparation for the day a taper actually matters. A year of B and C races builds patience, durability, and honesty. Then one morning I stand on a start line with fresh legs and nothing left to guess about.

More from me: how I grade my races and my full taper guide.