·        Tapering     

It may seem strange to suggest, but the three weeks prior to a marathon are best spent taking it easy. This period is called tapering and while it does involve some running, all athletes benefit from letting the body recover for the big day.

Put simply tapering is the phase in an athlete's programme where the volume of training is reduced. Tapering is often done in preparation for a big event like a marathon so that the body is in prime condition.

Generally 2-4 weeks is needed, to give the body time to recover from training and to store energy for the race itself. Tapering for three weeks doesn't mean you literally stop running for three weeks before a marathon.

If you are planning a three-week tapering period, the week before, you should be embarking on your longest training run.

If you're longest run is going to be about three hours, then after the first week you should cut that in half.

Then the week after that I'd cut in half again, so you'd only be doing a quarter of your longest run.

If it’s been part of your training it is also important not to forget about your speed work during the last week of training.

For the two weeks prior to the race you want to cut down the quantity of your other sessions. Keep the quality. So take a threshold run for example, you'd still work at an uncomfortable pace, but you wouldn't do it for as long.

It's tempting to keep yourself ticking over in the final seven days before the marathon. But really it's all for effect. You've done the training, the main thing is not to get injured now and ruin it all.

There's absolutely nothing you can do in that last week which will make you run better. During the last week I'd go out for a light run on the Tuesday and Thursday but it's more of a psychological thing. You might feel a bit sluggish during the last week because your body's become used to running. A couple of runs will get rid of that feeling.

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