How to Taper for Your A-Race Ironman: The Final 14 Days

The final 14 days before an Ironman are not about building fitness. Any training you do at this point will not make you stronger, but it can absolutely make you more tired. The goal is simple: preserve all the fitness you’ve built while shedding fatigue so you can perform at your peak on race day. There is no one size fits all taper & I do wanna clarify that before you read the rest of this blog.

Too many athletes make the mistake of training too much, thinking they need to “stay in shape.” In reality, this just digs a hole and leaves you flat on race day. The hard work is done—now it’s about arriving sharp, fresh, and fully charged at the start line. What Tapering Actually Means

A taper isn’t just cutting volume and hoping for the best. It’s a strategic process that reduces training load while maintaining intensity, ensuring you’re sharp without accumulating unnecessary fatigue.

The goal of these two weeks is simple:

• Let your body absorb all the hard training you’ve done.

• Keep your system firing with small doses of intensity.

• Arrive at the start line fresh, not flat.

Too many athletes overdo it in this window. They think they need to “feel sharp” every day, and if they have an off session, they push harder. That’s how you show up to race day tired, not ready. The Perfect 14-Day Taper Plan - Everyones Different but here is a good template if you are unsure:

Days 14-10: The Transition from Training to Taper

At this point, the bulk of your training is behind you. The focus now shifts to reducing overall training stress while keeping some intensity to maintain sharpness.

• Volume drops by 30-50%.

• Intensity stays in, but workouts are shorter.

• Strength training is either eliminated or very light.

A typical session during this phase might look like:

• Bike: 90 minutes with 4x20sec Seated Accelerations & 2x2M V02 followed by 1x15M at race pace. (This takes you through your whole range.

• Run off the bike: 30 minutes, keeping the first 10 minutes at race effort.

These efforts remind your body how to race, but they don’t add any fatigue. The key is leaving every session feeling better than when you started.

Days 9-6: Sharpening Up, But Nothing Crazy

This is when you might start feeling antsy. Volume is lower, fatigue is finally fading, but you don’t quite feel “race ready” yet. That’s normal.

• Training remains in the schedule but is much shorter.

• One or two short, race-pace efforts help maintain feel.

• No hard or long sessions—your body is absorbing training now.

A good session in this window:

• Run: 40 minutes with 3-4 x 2 minutes at race pace or even a 4x400 at Threshold set (Be careful here though)

• Bike: 75 minutes with 3x6 minutes at Ironman power.

You should leave these workouts thinking, “That was easy.” If you don’t, you’re pushing too hard.

Days 5-3: The Hard Work is Done

At this point, there’s nothing you can do to get fitter—only things you can do to ruin your race. Your only job now is to let your body fully recharge.

• Final small tune-ups, but most of the work is rest.

• Prioritize sleep, hydration, and dialing in your nutrition.

• Carbohydrate loading begins (48 hours pre-race, 8-10g/kg of body weight).

A perfect session in this phase:

• Bike: 45 minutes with 2x4 minutes at race pace.

• Run: 20-30 minutes easy with a few 20-second strides.

This keeps everything firing, but it’s short enough that it doesn’t dig into race-day energy stores.

Days 2-1: Rest, Trust, and Execute

By now, the work is completely done. You can’t gain any fitness, and anything too hard or too long is just burning energy you’ll need on race day.

• A short shakeout session (15 min bike, 10 min run, 5 min swim) keeps the body engaged.

• Hydrate well, but don’t overdo it.

• Eat normal, familiar foods nothing new.

• Relax, visualize, and trust your preparation.

At this point, the biggest challenge is mental. You might feel sluggish, your legs might feel heavy, and you might have a sudden urge to “test” yourself with a hard effort. Ignore that feeling. You are primed to race you just don’t fully realize it yet.

Race Morning: Primed to Perform

When you wake up, you are ready.

• Eat 3-4 hours before the race.

• Sip electrolytes leading up to the start.

• Warm up lightly (if at all).

• Take a deep breath. It’s go time.

Final Thoughts: Trust the Process

The two weeks before an Ironman aren’t about training they’re about arriving fresh, rested, and confident. If you push too hard, you’ll show up tired. If you taper right, you’ll hit the start line feeling like a racehorse in the gate, ready to go.

You’ve put in the work. Now trust it.